SeanOKelly.us

There is a line in a third day song about seeing someone in need and instead of helping, keeping your resource to yourself and telling that person you will pray for them. I am ashamed to admit that this is exactly what I did the other day. As I was leaving Safeway with Abby and Hannah a few days ago, with a car full of groceries, we stopped at the corner to wait for the light to turn.  A homeless man in a wheel chair sat on the curb with a familiar sign that read, “no food, no home, hungry, please help”. I saw him and shot up a prayer as the light changed.

My almost four year old Hannah, spoke up and asked, “Mommy, that man looks sad, what does his picture say?” I explained that he was asking for help because he did not have a home to live in or any food to eat. Without skipping a beat she said in a very authoritative voice for a girl her age, “we need to get him some food!” Could God have rained breakfast burgers from heaven and sent an angel to announce in a booming voice, “Jesus loves you!!” Of course, but instead he gifted my daughter with compassion and moved her tiny heart to action.  At once I felt conviction for having passed him by in my busy morning rush and incredible pride in our little Hannah for wanting to be Jesus hands and feet to a person he loves who needs him.

We pulled into the drive- thu and got him a hot breakfast. As we pulled out Hannah noticed some flower and announced, “Flowers will make him happy, I need a flower”. I pulled over and let her and Abby each pick a flower for him, (the selection process to pick -just -the -right- one.. took a while) then flowers and breakfast in hand my girls in there princess dresses, and rain boots marched across the parking lot as if on a mission. The look of shock and confusion on the man’s face quickly dissolved into a joyful smile as Hannah handed him the food and flowers and said, “Here, you can be happy!  Jesus loves you!” It was an intense moment and one I will never forget.

As we drove home she asked questions like, does he have a mommy and daddy? Does he have a car? and can we share our house with him?  I did my best to answer her in a way she could understand, but these are not easy things to teach a small child. The truth is, I think that at times like this, she is the one who is teaching me.