Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus…
(Hebrews 12:1-2)
The cold hand of fear twisted my gut. I know Janice won’t kill me. Well, probably not. But I didn’t want anyone in the garden, and I suspected that she was going to throw a fit if she couldn’t make $10.
I’ve been thinking a lot about listening recently. If you’ve been on the home page of my website, you’ve seen the new graphics that capture
Want a great Fourth of July table conversation? Try fun food talk. My sister sent me a book for my birthday called Food Listography. It is filled with empty pages with titles like these.
After I sat down, I saw transformation in Janice. Even though I did not have work for her and gave her no money, she began to talk to me about life. I could see in her eyes that she felt valued by me. We were now just two people sitting on a porch.
I replay many of these scenes through my head, wondering if I did the wrong thing. But the bottom line is that, if I am going to remain friends with Janice, I need to be honest with her. A lot of people share advice on beggars, but I often wonder if they actually live in a neighborhood where these same beggars are friends who they actually love and care about. (I’m not talking about the feedback you gave in the comments on last week’s post. I found that helpful and challenging.)
I also want to leave this with you to remind you of the true complexity of people’s requests. Jesus knew the hearts of everyone, but we do not. We are forced to go with what we can see and hear. We are forced to face the fact that the best way of loving someone isn’t always obvious or smooth.
