Walk in someone else's shoes...

Last night - after I finished work, I was on my way to meet up with a friend for a coffee.  Oh - I guess I should now state I don't drink coffee, never have - but it's the easiest way to say you went to a coffee shop for whatever it is - whether it be a coffee, a tea, a hot chocolate, an espresso, a latte, etc.

So, as I was on my way there, I got to a point where I saw a homeless person on the sidewalk with a cap out on the ground looking for any change that anyone was willing to give him.

Now - if this was the person who I once used to be, I would've probably walked right on by and ignored him figuring he's probably just looking for money for cigarettes, drugs and/or alcohol.

Now - who am I to judge?

Luke 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Now - I must say - I just love how this passage ties into what has become known as the "Golden Rule"

Leviticus 19:18 ¶Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself:.

So - here I was, approaching this man - seeing people walk by as if he was a "nobody".  I stopped about 15-20 feet away from this man, reached in my pocket for all the change I had.  I took everything I could grab - probably about 8-10 dollars worth.  Ok - don't ask why I had so much change - it just piles up after a few days.

Now - right there I know there are some people thinking, why did you give all that money to that person?  Well - just like that person, one day I may become unemployed, without a home, and end up on the streets.  I would simply want someone to have faith in me that I would use the money for food, or for simply some clothes.

So anyways - I gave the money to this man, and the tone and crackling in his voice explained it all.  Hearing "you've just made my night" too brought tears to my eyes - and all I was thinking throughout that was "thank you Lord."

So - one thing to think about - anytime you see a homeless person on the street asking for money - do you ever think what it would be like if you were in that person's shoes?