Seeing Clearly

2 Corinthians 5:16, "So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!" NLT

At one point in my life I worked as a janitor for a Methodist Church in Orlando Florida. The hours were from three to eleven at night. My wife and I haven't owned a car for most of our seventeen years of marriage and at that time I would take public transportation. So after work, I would walk downtown Orlando to get to the bus stop to head home. It was a very interesting time in my life and I met some very interesting people. Some of them were the homeless, making there way to wherever it is they slept at night. Joy and I thought it would be a good idea to make little sack snacks for them as a ministry opportunity. They were little brown bags filled with things like crackers and canned Vienna sausages, among other things. It was an opportunity for me to share the love of Christ with them along with the Gospel. It was great talking to each of them and one in particular would end up teaching me.

I never knew his real name so I called him Moses. He was a tall man with long grey hair and just as long beard. I found out that at one time he was pretty successful in life. He had been married and even served in ministry. But at some point, he had lost his job and that's when his life took a drastic turn. Months went by without any change. He couldn't find a job, his marriage began to fall apart and his whole world began to crumble before his eyes. Things went from bad to worse... First he lost his marriage, which he said was devastating, she had always been the love of his life. Then he lost his home and with no other options, he went into his first shelter. All of this took place eight years before I met him.

At first he said he felt that God had abandoned him. He couldn't understand why He would let him fall so far. God was his protector and look at him now, he's homeless, his wife left him and it seemed that he had no opportunity to get back up on his feet. He continued looking for a job, but everyone said he had to have an address in order to apply. But he couldn't get an address without first getting a job. He felt lost and without hope. Then one day he began talking to another man and shared with him about God. The end result was the man came to Christ. That's when Moses said his eyes were opened. He began sharing the Gospel with all the homeless he came into contact with. He found that they would listen to him, a fellow homeless man, while others they would reject. God began to provide for him in a miraculous way. For example, he was sitting at a bus stop and a random car pulled up and a man told him that he was the pastor of a local Church and he felt God wanted him to stop for some reason. What shocked Moses was the man ended up inviting him to his house, allowing him to shower and get some new clothes and a pair of shoes. Moses said he had only prayed for a pair of shoes. "What a glorious God I serve," he said. He was even invited to give his testimony to the man's Church.

By the time I met Moses, he was a full time missionary in the streets of Orlando. He took no money for his efforts, all he asked was for three meals a day, which God always provided for him. At first glance, he was just another homeless man, someone to easily dismiss and snicker at. He smelled, his back was arched from sleeping on park benches, and he walked slow from the pain in his legs. Most would stay away from him and they would miss out on meeting such a great man of God.

I write this with many tears and I'm thankful to have the honor to tell his story. It's been over a decade since I had the pleasure of meeting Moses and I have no idea if he's still in the streets or at home with his Lord. I think and pray about him and I'm so thankful that he helped teach me so much about how I view others. I can't wait until I get to meet him again in our Father's house.

Hebrews 13:2, "Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!" NLT

Repent and believe before it's too late

Photo source: one and two