Begging Hands

Close your eyes, and imagine…

A person is hunched over, head down, broken in every way, poor, with hands held out in hopes that grace might brush their palm. You can hear them whisper from the depths of their heart, “Please help me, I cannot do this alone.. I don’t even know where to start on this journey of recovery?”

What do you see?

Many will picture a homeless person, alcoholic, someone who is lost, broken, unemployed and more than likely, somewhat unwilling to change. Lucky for them, they know they are broken.. Do the rest of us know we are all sharing the same story? Because the picture I just painted was of a follower of Christ. On their knees, head bowed, hands open begging for the body of Christ. Whispering a prayer of surrender.. “I can’t do this on my own.” And in many ways, we too are homeless, anxiously wandering for a place to rest our weary souls, poor in spirit, addicts (cell phones, computers, food, tv, gossip, wherever you may get your fix), lost, broken, and in many cases oblivious to the error of our ways.

What if God scoffed at us the same as some of us scoff at the poor beggar on the street? “Well, I have worked hard to be where I am.. it’s not fair that you have done nothing.. Maybe if you just change your ways, stop being addicted, find some work.. then you will EARN this on your own.”

I am not denying that it is frustrating to be working while someone is waiting for a handout.. but aren’t we all waiting for a handout. We simply, cannot obtain salvation on our own. And we are all in the same boat on that.  Jesus is calling us die to our old thoughts and follow Him, uncertain where we might be led but confident He is whispering to us, “Don’t worry, I am with you.”

On the last day, Jesus will say to those on His right hand, “Come, enter the Kingdom. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was sick and you visited me.” Then Jesus will turn to those on His left hand and say, “Depart from me because I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you did not give me to drink, I was sick and you did not visit me.” These will ask Him, “When did we see You hungry, or thirsty or sick and did not come to Your help?” And Jesus will answer them, “Whatever you neglected to do unto one of these least of these, you neglected to do unto Me!”

Maybe we will think twice before we walk by the next person sitting on the street, or sick soul in need of a visitor.. you never know when you could be passing up a chance to encounter God.

~ by travelingmercies on October 15, 2009.