I want to give you a glimpse into something I experienced last weekend. Picture this: A busy street corner with friends meeting to have lunch together. Children giggling and playing games and strangers visiting, talking, and laughing. Doesn't this appear to be a picture perfect scene?
But we must remember, everything in life is about perspective. This scene actually played out at a soup kitchen. I was chaperoning some kids from my church who were helping to serve lunch. The people we met that day came from all walks of life. Many were homeless or struggling to put food on the table for their families. Some were old and some were very young but whatever was going on in their lives, one thing was certain. They were all there because they could get a free, good, hot meal. Everyone seemed to know one another and they were very happy to have the opportunity to visit and be together.
Of all the people I met that day, there was one who stood out to me. She was a little girl who couldn't be older than eight or nine years old. It took me over an hour to connect with her. Finally after multiple attempts I found a way to break through her barrier. It turns out, we're both in second grade! Once we found something we had in common, she spent the next several hours stuck to me like glue.
As we bonded and she began to share a bit of her story with me, my heart felt the weight this little girl had experienced. Her tales were not something I have experienced, but her story is all too familiar to so many living in our society today.
When it was time for her to go, she jumped up and ran after her family, who had already started walking down the street. and she never looked back. She didn't even say goodbye. And while this devastated me, I know this is just how it had to be for her. Maybe she had already experienced too many goodbyes in her life or maybe she felt no attachment to me what so ever. Or maybe the goodbye was too hard for me, because I felt sad and helpless and I couldn't make things better for her.
But this entire story is told from my perspective. Just because I felt sad certainly doesn't mean she did. Maybe she was content in her circumstances. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:11-12:
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned to be content in any and every situation, whether we'll fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want.
As we bonded and she began to share a bit of her story with me, my heart felt the weight this little girl had experienced. Her tales were not something I have experienced, but her story is all too familiar to so many living in our society today.
When it was time for her to go, she jumped up and ran after her family, who had already started walking down the street. and she never looked back. She didn't even say goodbye. And while this devastated me, I know this is just how it had to be for her. Maybe she had already experienced too many goodbyes in her life or maybe she felt no attachment to me what so ever. Or maybe the goodbye was too hard for me, because I felt sad and helpless and I couldn't make things better for her.
But this entire story is told from my perspective. Just because I felt sad certainly doesn't mean she did. Maybe she was content in her circumstances. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:11-12:
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned to be content in any and every situation, whether we'll fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want.
The first few times I volunteered my time to help people who didn't have food to eat or a place to lay their heads, I felt so helpless and overwhelmed because the needs around me were so great and I knew the little bit I was giving wasn't going to make a bit of difference. But being with that little girl helped me realize that although I cannot necessarily change the situation of those in need, I can love on them and give them my time. And just maybe that will give them some encouragement and hope and allow them to see Jesus in a fresh, new way. I don't know if I made a difference for that little girl, but she certainly made a difference for me. The sign below was posted on the fence outside, and I believe it sums up what God wants us to do as we walk this path of life.
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