I needed some toilet paper so I made the decision to go down to the local Walgreens to take care of the urgent situation. It was there I found modern day royalty in rags. The gentlemen was hunkered down next to the door in ragged clothes all the while the very few belongings that he had to his name were stuffed in a wore out backpack. Doesn’t sound like royalty does it? Me and him had a wonderful conversation and he shared his life story graciously. He had been homeless at fifteen and spent time at Angola prison where his right eye had been injured to the point of blindness.
He Was Homeless, penniless, and his whole life confined to one bag. He couldn’t access a place with a clean bed and shower yet there was one statement that told me I was in the presence of royalty.
That phrase was the simple statement ” I know my Lord”. I had asked Him about His relationship with God and out comes this sure confidence that must’ve come from Christ alone. This truth made me come to the realization that this man is a Son of the King of Kings!
Even though He was blind in one eye one day he would behold the wonders of heaven with twenty twenty vision in both eyes. Even though he was homeless now , one day he would experience living in a mansion in heaven more comfortable than the nicest neighborhood on earth. Because of his faith in Jesus he would be provided for above his wildest dreams in the riches of eternity. But this does not change the current situation that he is experiencing. So therefore I made sure to provide him with a gift card to a restraurant so that my brother in Christ could be fed well. A resource that has really been a big help to me on dealing with these situations and that can help you in knowing how to handle the next person you encounter that is experiencing the effects of poverty is ” When helping hurts.” It will guide you on how to effectively minister to those under povertys power and show what helps and what hurts.
This is a paid link.
As I prayed with this man I realized that we were connected not by similarities in our financial or housing situation. But through what Jesus Had done. And because of this I could say that this man was not just a stranger but someone that might possibly be somewhere on my block in heaven. The only difference being then he will have a mansion full of treasures , healed eyesight to behold his Lord, and a joy that is complete.
So as a parting gesture for my newfound friend in Christ I went inside and left him with a gift card to be able to eat off of for the next few weeks. Knowing that next time we meet his royal position of belonging to the God the King of Kings will be seen in its fullest. So lets make a point to not judge a man by his appearance because you never know who you will be found talking to. Thank you for reading and make sure to like, comment, or subscribe so you can receive more encouraging stories from this millennial on mission.
hope
So true love this Mathew I shared with severals friends on FB
Thank you for this reminder. My Dad would have loved this!
Thank you and He was such a compassionate person for sure.
An excellent post, congratulations !!
Today, I went to the beach front with my children. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone!
That is funny