John 13:34-35

Not far from my office is a busy intersection that is frequented by one or two homeless men, though not concurrently.  One of the men walks with a cane and a distinct limp, with one side of his body apparently unresponsive.   The older man has a beard and a ponytail, looks possibly to be of the Vietnam-veteran era, but seems to be ambulatory.

Occasionally, returning to the office late afternoon, I have to wait two or three traffic light cycles before I can turn, and there along the grassy strip, is a well-worn path that these men (and perhaps others) have created, walking from car to car, panhandling.

As I exit the freeway, I usually check the console for dollar bills left over from some fast food purchase, then scan to see if one of the men is there.  As long as it's not dangerous, or an impediment to traffic, I roll down the window and give some money, and the older man always responds "God bless you, man."  It's not much, not enough to buy a whole meal, but if two or three others give similarly, it will sustain life.  I believe every able-bodied person should work.  I don't know the circumstances of these men, but the Lord I serve tells me that if a brother or sister calls out for help, I should give it. 

As I noted, my gifts are small, given gladly, not out of guilt, and I'm certainly no victim of "an embarrassment of riches", at least not financially.  But I have been richly blessed in this life: Faith in one true God, [was] married 18 years to the love of my life, three wonderful children, enough to eat, a roof over my head, a job, and save for a small scare recently, good health. If I were in a position to give more at each opportunity, I would, presumably enough for a full meal.  And if I were blessed to be able to give more, I would look for more opportunities.

An email has circulated endlessly about the guy who picks up coins off the sidewalk, just so he can read the inscription "In God We Trust".  Yeah, it may be trite, but I'm that guy.  Just this morning I picked up three shiny pennies at the RaceTrac in Lake Worth, as I repeated the inscription to myself.

But better yet was this afternoon, hearing the homeless man say "God bless you, man!".  He has, my friend, and I pray He will bless you as well.