I was parked in front of the
mall wiping off my
car. I had just come from the
car wash and was
waiting for my wife to get out
of work.
Coming my way from across the
parking lot was
what society would consider a
bum.
From the looks of him, he had
no car, no home,
no clean clothes, and no
money. There are times
when you feel generous but
there are other times
that you just don’t want to be
bothered. This was
one of those “don’t want to be
bothered times.”
“I hope he doesn’t ask me for
any money,” I
thought. He didn’t. He came
and sat on the curb
in front of the bus stop but he
didn’t look like he
could have enough money to
even ride the bus.
After a few minutes he spoke.
“That’s a very pretty car,” he
said.
He was ragged but he had an
air of dignity
around him. His scraggly blond
beard keep more
than his face warm.
I said, “thanks,” and
continued wiping off my car.
He sat there quietly as I
worked. The expected
plea for money never came.
As the silence between us
widened something
inside said, “ask him if he
needs any help.” I was
sure that he would say “yes”
but I held true to
the inner voice.
“Do you need any help?” I
asked.
He answered in three simple
but profound words
that I shall never forget.
We often look for wisdom in
great men and
women. We expect it from those
of higher
learning and accomplishments.
I expected nothing but an
outstretched grimy
hand. He spoke the three words
that shook me.
“Don’t we all?” he said.
I was feeling high and mighty,
successful and
important, above a bum in the
street, until those
three words hit me like a twelve
gauge shotgun.
Don’t we all?
I needed help. Maybe not for
bus fare or a place
to sleep, but I needed help. I
reached in my
wallet and gave him not only
enough for bus fare,
but enough to get a warm meal
and shelter for
the day. Those three little
words still ring true. No
matter how much you have, no
matter how much
you have accomplished, you
need help too. No
matter how little you have, no
matter how loaded
you are with problems, even
without money or a
place to sleep, you can give
help.
Even if it’s just a compliment,
you can give that.
You never know when you may
see someone that
appears to have it all.
They are waiting on you to give
them what they
don’t have. A different
perspective on life, a
glimpse at something beautiful,
a respite from
daily chaos, that only you
through a torn world
can see.
Maybe the man was just a
homeless stranger
wandering the streets. Maybe
he was more than
that.
Maybe he was sent by a power
that is great and
wise, to minister to a soul too
comfortable in
themselves. And make him
know that everyone
needs help.
Don’t we all?
Be blessed
friends...............