An Unexpected Teacher

Coming home from class the other day a man approached me. He explained that he had recently lost his job and because of a bad relationship with a woman he had lost his money. Two days ago he had become homeless. This is not an uncommon situation so I was getting ready to explain to him that I didn't have any cash. He told me that he didn't want money, that he simply wanted something to eat. I took him to the jack in the box and gave him $10. He bought his meal and brought me change. It caught me so off guard because I had this terrible impression that he just wanted to take advantage of me. Here was a guy who was dressed normal, easy to talk to, only took what he needed, and was in a terrible situation. We talked about a lot of stuff and he mentioned to me some advice a friend gave him. His friend told him how easy it is to give up in these situations and if he truly wants to get his life back on track he has to work hard. So my  friend shared with me how his favorite biblical characters overcame adversity. He shared in fulfilling God's plan that Abraham had to overcome many obstacles while growing in his faith. Abraham learned how to trust God and kept pressing on, even amidst some mistakes, and his faithfulness was rewarded by God. My friend told me that he is going to look for a job, work hard, and not let this situation beat him. He explained how he knows that God will teach him through this mess and will be glorified through it. I exchanged numbers and have been praying with him and got to help him out one more time.

It was so refreshing seeing a person just be so open and relying on God. He wasn't trying to impress me or too proud to ask for help. He knew he needed help and he knows he needs God's grace. It made me realize that in all the worries I have in my life, which seem so small talking to him, that faith is all we need. We must persevere and trust God. We are so self-absorbed we constantly weigh how pleasing we are to God. God's love is unconditional and his grace is infinite. We have great worth in the eyes of God and we can rest in that. He simply wants us to trust Him which means following Him. He is holding us through the difficult times and we must muster every ounce of strength to keep our eyes focused on Him. Through faith and obedience He will shape our lives and be glorified through them.