Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.-Genesis 4:11-12.
One instance of redemption that occurred while doing homeless outreach involved a brother homeless for nearly thirty years. During the nearly two years of ministering to him his circumstances appeared to never change as he remained homeless and was often drunk as we delivered a bag of food, company, prayer and hope every week.
Once a couple of weeks went by where we didn't see him and when we did once again he said he had been in the hospital due to being beaten and left for dead but fortunately was found and taken to the hospital. Incidents as such over the last 30 years had left him jaded towards other humans as he was towards us this night as well and he initially didn't want what we usually provided to him. Having known him for a while now made me bold enough to ask if we had ever mistreated him to which he replied no. I then smiled at him and told him to take his food which he did and as we talked he relaxed and was once again okay with us.
A week later I ran into him at a gas station and he said he was glad he ran into me as he was leaving town to go reconnect with his family and try to be the dad to his daughter that she deserved. He also said our visits had provided him with the hope and courage to do so cause it reminded him there were people who still cared and he might have committed suicide along the way otherwise. We then rejoiced and prayed with him right in the parking lot for his new adventure he was getting ready to embark on. I haven't seen him since but I believe Dad used our visits to avoid another brother's blood being spilled and to provide his wandering heart with a home.
He can do the same through your actions as well. This can be accomplished by praying for the poor and homeless, listening to what Dad says and then doing what He leads you to do such as giving physical, mental and spiritual gifts of love when you see them for you never know when He will use your responsiveness to avoid a brother or sister's blood from being spilled and as a reminder that they have a home with a Dad and brothers and sisters who love them.
No comments:
Post a Comment