Yesterday morning while my son and I were on
our way to Streets of Woodfield, I was rear-ended by a young man while we sat
at a stop light exiting interstate 290, approaching Higgins
Rd.
Two minutes later, we spot a homeless man who appeared to be in his sixty’s at that intersection. He looked wet, tired and cold. My son opens his wallet, nudges me with his elbow, and passes me a $5 dollar bill. He then tells me to give it to the homeless man standing in the rain. The man initially had part of his back toward us. When he turned around, I waved him over and gave him the five dollar bill. When I placed the five dollar bill in his hand, I locked eyes with his and told him: “God bless you.” When I said those words, I said it with my eyes and my spirit too. I really wanted him to feel that I wanted God to bless him. I really did and today I still do.
Until next time,
Ruthie
Two minutes later, we spot a homeless man who appeared to be in his sixty’s at that intersection. He looked wet, tired and cold. My son opens his wallet, nudges me with his elbow, and passes me a $5 dollar bill. He then tells me to give it to the homeless man standing in the rain. The man initially had part of his back toward us. When he turned around, I waved him over and gave him the five dollar bill. When I placed the five dollar bill in his hand, I locked eyes with his and told him: “God bless you.” When I said those words, I said it with my eyes and my spirit too. I really wanted him to feel that I wanted God to bless him. I really did and today I still do.
In less than five minutes, two men, one
young, the other older, experienced grace. We did too.
As I recall what took place yesterday, I’m
so thankful for grace–filled moments.
And as I continue to ponder what took place yesterday
morning, I wonder if we would have missed the opportunity to give that man some money if we weren’t rear-ended. It’s amazing that our cars were not dented. Sometimes I think
God allows what might be perceived as an initial inconvenience to open doors for us to
do good. Yesterday, we experienced one of those moments. Thank you God!
My son shared with me yesterday and again
today that it felt really good to give. It always does son. It always does …
What I think is also really cool about this story is that the young man who hit my car yesterday, got to witness me placing money in the hands of the homeless man just minutes after bumping my SUV. He might have thought I was initially angry or irritated but I wasn't. Instead, he got to witness another human being helping someone in need. I believe things happen for so many reasons. Sometimes we will never know all the reasons why. I trust that each of us yesterday felt God's goodness in our lives. God is so good and He inspires each of us to do good because of His love, because He is love, because He is merciful and kind and full of grace.
Grace as I know it is unmerited favor. Grace is never earned. It's a gift from God. Max Lucado describes God’s grace as more than we deserve, greater than we could ever imagine. It's a powerful five-letter word. One that I am super grateful for.
What I think is also really cool about this story is that the young man who hit my car yesterday, got to witness me placing money in the hands of the homeless man just minutes after bumping my SUV. He might have thought I was initially angry or irritated but I wasn't. Instead, he got to witness another human being helping someone in need. I believe things happen for so many reasons. Sometimes we will never know all the reasons why. I trust that each of us yesterday felt God's goodness in our lives. God is so good and He inspires each of us to do good because of His love, because He is love, because He is merciful and kind and full of grace.
Grace as I know it is unmerited favor. Grace is never earned. It's a gift from God. Max Lucado describes God’s grace as more than we deserve, greater than we could ever imagine. It's a powerful five-letter word. One that I am super grateful for.
Until next time,
Ruthie
