Yesterday I met a homeless man named Charlie. He stood outside of the variety store- panhandling in near-destroyed shoes, smoking a cigarette while managing to be polite to everyone who he asked for money.
Charlie told me about a girl he had run into that day, she had overheard him asking someone for money. The girl yelled at him for panhandling, swore at him, embarrassed him.
He explained how it confused him, it wasn't as if he had bothered her- he hadn't talked to her at all.
He was truly hurt: lowered to the level of having to ask others for money, living unmarried, living unremembered by his friends. when he was already destroyed by horrible circumstances, this girl embarrassed him
I told him that i could probably get him some money from my church. He quickly answered "no, they wouldn't like where I'm staying; and they wouldn't approve of this" he said while gesturing to his cigarette.
I think that we have a major reputation problem... Charlie feels as if he'd be judged for living on the street, or for smoking- well, would he be? would we judge him? if not to him would we do it in our heads?
Either we have a reputation problem, or we have a problem that's making a reputation.
the most important commandment is LOVE, love God, and love others- that's the most important commandment so I think it should be what we do, what we are KNOWN for.
Charlie doesn't know us like that...
we study Christianity, we believe it
do we live Christianity? do we follow it?
1 comment:
I have defiantly realized that in todays society people don't know how to give true love. They don't know how to show Jesus' love. Not all of us, but a lot of people. Also, many people don't even know how to accept it when we try and give it to them. Or when God is right in front of them with the purest form of love.
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