I handed a man a cup of coffee from across the counter. He smiled, said “thanks,” and walked away. He could have been a local. He could have been from out-of-town. I don’t know. This particular homeless ministry situated directly across the street from the city’s bus station is where anyone could stop by for a hot cup of coffee or a meal when the doors are open.
Our governor had just announced that there were to be no more gatherings of ten or more people a few days prior, due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly enough, homeless ministries are exempt from this rule because as the local police said, “as long as you are helping the community, you may remain open. We need people to help the community.”
These homeless men and women know where to go to get food. They know where to go to get a hot cup of joe. They, like the birds of the air who know that their Heavenly Father will provide for them. They know that they will be taken care of. When I looked at their faces, I didn’t see fear. You never would have guessed that there was a global pandemic going on. This is because nothing has changed for them. They still don’t know where they are going to lay their head each night, but they know where they can get food. They know that their basic needs are going to be met.
Though it is my prayer that everyone single homeless person would get on their feet, that is not always the immediate reality. Sometimes there are mental and spiritual issues that they need to work through. In the meantime, I am thankful that they are able to have their physical needs met. And I am thankful that we can learn from them. We can learn about what truly is important. We can learn that God will meet our immediate needs right now during this crisis, though it might not be what we want. He cares about our needs, and He will take care of those as we work through the rest. (Such as dealing with our emotions as we can’t have what we want.) Maybe God wants to work in us mentally and spiritually as well through all of this. Have we become too attached to certain luxuries and God is showing us that those in fact have become idols in our lives. I know that he has revealed idols in my life that I have had to tear down. If it wasn’t for these days of quarantine, I don’t know if I would have recognized these things in my life. For this, I am thankful. What are you thankful for?
