loving a stranger.

today after church i was dropping off a load of people and on my way to drop off joh i happened to glance to my left and notice a man meticulously folding his patchy sweater into a pillow. he somehow had a big blanket and, as i watched, he set up his pillow and laid down on the ground to sleep.
at first i couldnt believe my eyes. it was definitely the first time i'd ever seen a homeless person in palos verdes. but then as i watched him lay on the ground in the ridiculously cold night, my heart broke for him. i had to move soon because the light turned green but as i drove away i thought of so many things. how did he get there? where did he come from? was he sick? was he cold? was he hungry?? and i realized that this could be a sign from God.

i've been reading a blog of an old friend named alex park (check it out! www.articulatealex.blogspot.com) inspired by jaeson ma's 365 days of love, he challenged himself to do random acts of love everyday for a month and documented each act on his blog. it was really inspiring to read about all that he did because they were things i'd always wanted to do but could never muster up the courage to actually carry out. and here God seemed to be providing an opportunity for me to take action.
also, a recent sermon about how as God's people we should love our neighbors as God loved us because we are all God's people and we are all made in God's image had really made me consider how fortunate i was. i thought of an old bible verse i read from isiah "Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" - Isiah 58:7 i couldn't possibly turn away from a human being that was sleeping outside on the ground..

after dropping joh off, i returned home and passed the man on my way. he lay there staring out at the street, most likely weary of people walking or driving by. i cant even imagine how frightening it'd be to sleep on the street, pv or not. i got home and packed a blanket i recently got but don't exactly need and while doing that, i realized how spoiled i was. my bed was piled with pillows and blankets. i have 4 blankets (of varying sizes) and 3 pillows. honestly, does one person need THREE pillows? i was ashamed. while one man slept outside with no pillow and a skimpy blanket, i slept in an excess of comfort. so i grabbed that blanket off my bed and packed it into a plastic bag, along with a whole lot of fruit and some hawaiian bread we had. i felt terrible that there wasnt much i could give him... on my drive back to where i saw him i suddenly became really nervous and the little devil on my shoulder was putting doubts in my head. i worried, what if he tries to hurt me? what if he isnt actually homeless? what if he's actually a serial killer in disguise (iknow, my brain is really creative)? and by the time i got around where he was and parked my car i was jittery. i sat in my car and prayed, asking God to give me courage and help me do the right thing. once i felt better, i stepped out of my car and with each step grew a bit more anxious. i wondered if he was still there as i saw a man cross the street as i walked. truly believing that the person i saw crossing the street was the homeless man i paused and considered following him. it looked like the man crossed the street and went into 7-11. perhaps he wasn't that needy.. ohwell, i figured i would at least leave the food in case he came back so i walked over and almost jumped backwards when i saw that the man was, in fact, still there and was now sitting up. i backpedaled up the hill again and stood there for a good 3 minutes wondering what i should do. seeing him up close scared me. but at that point, i figured i had gone through too much and thought about it enough to back out! so i finally just walked over and timidly ventured a "umm.. are you okay?" he looked back a bit suspiciously and before he could say anything i offered my blanket and asked if he was cold. he looked awfully surprised. then he suddenly responded in a surprisingly relaxed almost surfer accent "yea thanks so much!" i then offered him my bag of food and said "i also brought you some food.." and he took it with another very surprised "oh wow.. thanks". i wondered what i should do next. so i tried to find out more about him by asking how he was. all he said was "umm. i'm okay" and then as he looked at my bag of food he joked "you wouldn't give me poisoned food right?" and i laughed and reassured him that it wasn't. sensing how awkward it was, i started to retreat telling him i hoped he wouldn't be too cold and to enjoy the food. he thanked me and i told him quickly "God loves you! God bless" and retreated so fast.

i dont think i'm spiritually mature enough to be like alex, praying for people and teaching others about God's love. also, it doesn't help that i'm a girl.. however, i'm hoping that this act of love can be a sign and a start for me. today was also an indication that with God i can have the courage to do what's right.

i want to end by challenging all of you to do an act of love too! start a chain!! can you imagine how our world would be if everyone just loved a little more? +an act of love can be anything!