The collection plate.
And I don't mean the one that they pass through the pews either.
This morning, on my way to church in Jackson, I stopped at a gas station to pull some cash out of an ATM. I made up my mind that I was going to start giving more back to God, and I wasn't going to hold back on my "tithing" promise today. So I got a $10 out, bought a 98 cent cup of coffee, and got back on the road to church. I sat through class, I sat through service, and the messages were good; but I was waiting on the chance to give.
I was waiting on the chance to give back to my God.
And so the collection plate came around to me in church. I looked through my wallet and saw the $9 left. It was decision time; do I just put it all in here, or do I obligate myself to doing something more with it. I finally threw in $4 and kept back $5. It was a hard thing to do, because I knew that I was placing a yoke on myself that would later become uncomfortable. But it was also something I was looking forward to.
So after church, I ran a couple of errands in town. But before I went to my sister's for lunch, I knew I was going to have to find a way to give the $5 burning in my pockets back to God. And my opportunity finally came when I was thinking about giving up chase and just going to her house.
I saw a man on the side of the exit ramp holding a cardboard sign that said, "HELP ME, PLEASE".... Which makes me think, how many times have I sat on the side of the metaphysical road of life and had others pass me by... I couldn't pass this man by. I started wrestling within myself, thinking that I had to get to my sister's apartment on time, thinking that it was going to be too much of a hassle, thinking that $5 wasn't going to do anything. But finally I decided that this was a chance from God and that I would regret passing this man up for a very, very long time.
So I pulled over into the parking lot of a nearby restaurant, parked my car, and started walking down the highway to meet this man. It always amazes me to see some of the incredulous faces on the people in the cars who drive by, windows up and doors locked, and see me talking to ragged-looking homeless people on the side of the road... But I came up to this man, who was wearing a cut off shirt revealing all of his tattoos, had a scruffy beard, an old trucker's hat on his head, and dark leather skin from sitting in the sun for so long. I asked him how he was doing, kneeling down beside him. He replied, "I can't lie, brother, I've been better." I extended my hand and introduced myself and asked him his name, which was
"Steve."
God... bless Steve.
I started to reach in my pocket to get the money and started saying, "Look, Steve, I'm sorry man, I don't have much but-" and then Steve cut me off and said, "Oh, hey, brother, I don't want to cut you short. If you don't have enough for yourself, don't worry about it. God will take care of me."
And when he said that, and even now just thinking about that sentence, there is a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach... How often do I blow money on myself for stuff that I never needed, and probably will continue to do so, and here is a homeless man telling me that I should keep a few dollars for myself in case I "need" it... Wow.
But I said, "No, no, Steve. I want to give this to you. I just wish that I had more to give you. It's just $5..." Steve smiled and almost laughed a little. "You don't understand, little brother," he said, "It may not seem like much to you, but to me, it means that I get to eat today."
I was dumbfounded. I just said, "Well, then there's nothing I'd rather do with this money." I put it in his hand, and we shook hands again. Steve said, "God bless you." Most homeless people say that when you help them out, but Steve was different; he didn't stop there. He said, "I'm a firm believer in the Lord; I have been since I was young. I've fallen on some pretty hard times, obviously. Our economy is all messed up, and things are just bad in this world. But I always trust in Him to take care of me. And He always does." I smiled and said, "That's so true. He always takes care of us." Steve smiled and added, "But I am still waiting so bad for ol' Gabriel to blow that trumpet and end this game down here that I'm in. I'm looking forward to going bass fishing on the Crystal Sea. I'm so ready to be done with all of this stuff here... Russ, would you do me a favor?" I said, "Sure."
"Would you just... pray for me?"
I said, "Of course. Steve, you can count on being in my prayers, day and night."
He just said, "Thanks."
It broke my heart to witness all of this great and powerful testimony of God's providence and diehard faith and hope in Heaven. I didn't know much else to say. Steve started to turn and walk away. He said, "I'm going to go and get me some food!" very excitedly. All I could say was, "God bless you, man." But at this, Steve stopped, turned around and looked me in the eye and said,
"He already has, little brother. Through you."
And as I walked back to my car, fighting tears, my heart felt like it was just on fire, burning strongly for the Lord. So many people have been blessings from God in my life, and Steve helped me to realize that God can just as much use me to be a blessing in the lives of others. And that is what the kingdom of God is like, to me at least.
God, bless Steve. Take care of him. Watch over him. And, in the end, rescue him.
But God, help me to be a blessing to people every day of my life. There are so many more that need rescued. Help me to be that rescue.
Amen.
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