We emerge. Half way across the world. From an underground subway. And his feet are the first thing I see. Patched with stories of the places that he has been.
Calloused. Filthy.
Me. Dumbstruck. Imagining the reality. Some people don’t have shoes.
Ascending from below. Shanghai. Navigating through thousands of silent people. To the streets. Up the stairs. Toward the light of day. Where “functioning” people pass by.
And the warning was clear. Don’t give money to the homeless. But, I knew….wharever the Spirit leads…..that I must do. Regardless if it gets me in trouble.
And I hear him play and digest his heart in each note. Wondering how dirty skin. Calloused feet. And frail flesh hanging on weary bones….doesn’t make his notes bitter.
Men in expensive suits pass by, shouting insults in Mandarin at him. And I don’t have to be fluent in a foreign language to know that they are offended at his presence on “their” stairs.
And I wonder if the thought of him surfaces all their fears…..of being poor. Of having nothing. Of being alone. Or of what they had known….which drove them to get rich.
And it is when one man spits toward him……that I reach into my purse to pull out what I can find. And how can the curse of another be the blessing another finds?
And I place the coin. Clinking inside. An empty can.
And how many of us carry empty cans? Waiting for someone to see us and share what they can…
And I think I have done what I need to….until the music stops and this homeless man starts chases me up the stairs.
Without knowing what he is saying, I try not to turn back at him and stare.
But our interpreter later tells me that what I gave him was even less than a penny. And I didn’t know, because after being less than a week in China, I am still trying to figure out the exchange of Chinese money.
And I feel guilty. All day shopping. Until, we return to the tunnel of the underground subway.
That sweet sound. I see him far from the stairs he was sitting on.
Did the suits of those with painful words drive him away from where he belonged? The place I first saw him?
And I run to him. Bare Foot One. Taking out so much more. Giving it to this man God led me to….
Bare foot one. Playing music. Half way across the world.
In China.
Linking with Emily @ Imperfect Prose,
26 Comments
Ahh Jen – so sad and yet maybe that interaction are the seeds that man needs and God will water them. So praying God touches his life more.
God bless
Tracy
Makes me almost cry.
God bless you in China, Jen! Next time you visit it, take some Bibles in Chinees/Mandarin with you…
Wonderful blog.
Beautiful post, Jen. Thanks for sharing.
How could I not click over after I read this title? Wrote about my own struggle involving the homeless today too.
The spitting in this was hard for me to think about.
nice post thanks for sharing looking for to visit more …blessings
Always so beautifully written! I also wrote about the homeless at my place. Feel free to join me over there
Tracy – Yes, it is sad. Yet, often I wonder if the homeless are as the Bible says, “Angels in disguise”? Does God use them to test our hearts? Is it less about their needs & more about having eyes to see…as God sees? Just another random thought drifting past….:) Blessings dear friend. ~ jen
Hans – So glad this post touched you in such a way. Last time we brought a few Bibles, but, yes, if God is willing, I would LOVE to bring more next time, for sure! 🙂
Christan & Alittleofme – Thanks for your feedback. Always love it! Blessing to you both too!
Amy & Kristin – Isn’t it amazing how God works!? How He often puts the same subject matter on the hearts of many….at the exact same time! I just love that about blogging. People from all over the world will write about the exact same thing & not even know it! God is just so good like that! Praising Him even more….
smiles…how cool evenin his state to be sharing beauty with the world in his song…pulls my heart…and i am glad you had a chance to see him again…and to give…smiles…
Jen, you crossed the road to be on the wounded man’s side. You are the good Samaritan. Bless your heart, you have a broken spirit for your fellow man. Anywhere. I wonder how you do this. 🙂
God gives us second chances. And that half-cent, it was God’s way to prepare you to give more. So beautiful, such love.
I don’t even know what to say.
Where the Spirit leads…life gets amazing and rich. Thank you for sharing this, encouraging us to be brave and do what God asks us too, even if people chase us.
This was beautiful.
Brian – So true, huh!? That in his despair, depravity, and total desolation….he chooses not to lay victim….but to offer the world his own form of beauty! What an incredible thought.
Happygirl – You are far too kind. This time, I crossed…but far too often I look the other way…
Dea – Thank you, friend. Don’t you just love how God teaches those of us still learning?
Osteriches – 🙂 I love your comment. Yes, it is about that still small voice, isn’t it? Keeping in God tune and obeying…wherever that leads, huh! 🙂
Oh my goodness, he is beyond precious! I remember feeling so superior to the homeless when I walked into the door. Even with a heart for serving them and loving them, I couldn’t relate. Until I met a man named Coy. While we did dishes he told me his life story. A millionare that made bad decisions and wasn’t content. Oh how that could be me, minus the millions. Now I see things very differently. By the way, he was 100% happier, living in a shelter than he was with millions. God is so good.
“how many of us carry empty cans?” i wondered something similar today. we conceal our empty places as best we can, but what if we held them out boldly and anticipated being filled?
(if you moderate comments, you don’t need those spam filters at all–and blogger is actually pretty adept at filtering anyway:)
Brownie – WOW!! Thank you so much for sharing that story!! I think of how often we think money will bring happiness and how more than often, the poor in spirit, the meek, the broken….are those closest to the heart of God. I am blessed by your sharing. Thanks again!
Suzannah – Yes..anticipating being filled! Love it! btw – Thanks for the blogger info. Just canceled the word verification. I need all the help I can get sometimes! Lol 🙂 Blessings
Beautiful!
Jen, it may be hard to get through the security’s with some bibles, but there is not a Better gift for those. Be a Blessing for China, for the Broken! cause Jesus Himself had a special love for the poor and for the broken… In Christ, -hans
nothing touches my heart more than when someone sees a person in need, and responds. and i know this is the most important thing to God, too. i love that you ran to him and gave him so much more. bless you friend. xo
Elizabeth – Thanks.
Hans – Thanks for that wonderful reminder.
Emily – So glad too that we don’t have a God who simply sits on a throne & rules judgement…but one who humbled himself, came down, and met people right where they are. Such a blessing, dear friend. Such a blessings.
beautiful! thank you 🙂
Oh look at that man. Tears trickle, heart swells, Jesus loves him as much as He loves me.
Janelle
So glad you were kind to him. Its amazing at how cruel the world can be. New follower here from Friendship Friday. Have a great Memorial Day weekend.
http://lovejoyjunction.blogspot.com/
Shannon – 🙂 Glad to have you reading.
Janelle – Yes, so thankful He is no respecter of persons…and loves us all the same.
Michele – Thanks so much for coming by & following. Will be by soon! Blessings.
sometimes the best thing we can give to the poor is recognition. People pass them by as if they don’t exist. Patsy from
HeARTworks