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I See You.

One of our regular north side stops on the Wedneday evening route, and she’s standing there with a sign and wearing no shoes.  She does not stand still and moves like her feet are hurting her.  I wonder what happened to her shoes.  Sometimes we carry shoes in the vehicles, but not tonight.  She comes over and we give her a bag of food and some cold lemonade.  It’s a warm evening and the lemonade is refreshing to her.  She does not talk much, but she asks if we have any shoes.  We dont’ but I give her an extra pair of socks to help cushion her feet a little.  She walks back to her spot, grateful for what we have been able to offer her.  Mostly we offer her love and support.  Hopefully we will have some shoes for her if she is still here next week.  

As we wait for other members of our crew who have walked over to a different intersection, I stand back and observe.  The traffic is heavy under this particular over pass and she stands there hopeful.  As I watch I notice nobody in the passing cars even glances her way.  Everyone keeps their eyes forward and is in their own world.  Do they see her and are they just denying any eye contact?  I don’t know, but it makes me sad when I realize that we as people can go about our lives like that and not show any love.  Maybe those people are thinking about her and are wondering if they can help, maybe they are uncomfortable and struggle with knowing the right thing to do.  I too was once a driver focusing forwarded.  

One of the things we talk about in our group a lot, is loving people where they are at.  It is a beautiful thing to know that no matter where your are in your life, that someone loves you.  Someone cares.  I dont’ know this women, but I love her where she is at and know that any one of us is vulnerable to things going wrong in our lives.  We don’t know her story, you don’t know her story.  We should not assume to know why she is there on the street.  All we need to do is love her.  I see you and I love you.  

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8 

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  Colossians 3:14

 Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14

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