Abundantly Blessed

I woke up today before nine and any day I do that and don’t have to work is a good thing. I did my devotions,  then took the bus, got lunch at Chick-fil-a, and even stopped by “Wally World.”

On the way home about forty-five minutes ago, I stopped by Mugs, a coffee shop in Old Town, and then went outside to sit. When I got up to leave, I noticed a homeless man sitting there with his cart, filled to the brim with all his earthly possessions.

There have been many times when I have encountered homeless people on the streets, and many of those instances have turned into past blogs. Yet, today I almost just turned up Maroon 5 on my I-Pod, walked by him and went home. Instead, when he said “Hey brother!” I decided to turn around,  like Sean Tuohy in The Blind Side and spend some time with this man.

His name was Robert and he looked like many you would find on the streets. He was missing teeth and in need of shower. The wrinkles on his skin showed the effect time had brought upon him.

Yet, throughout his conversation, through every clear bullet point and every random tangent, he wanted to tell me one thing. He was “on a mission from God” and wanted to tell everyone he could about Jesus. One way, he said, he felt called to do so, was by writing out scriptures with markers on pieces of cardboard. And he showed me each and every one of his scriptural pieces of art.

He spoke of his frustration with the modern-day church, of how he believed many modern pastors were wicked, and how he believed the Bible said, in the end days, the church, or chapel, needed to be a “place of refuge.” All the while, he spoke of his craving for a church to call his own.

As he reminded me of how he told me he felt called to share the gospel from city blocks, he said that Christians aren’t meant to merely pray and seek Jesus within the confines of their homes. He said, that all believers are meant to seek him out in the world, and specifically, out “on the streets” as well. As he spoke, I related to the truth behind his incoherent frustrations and felt lead to follow the truths he was expressing.

In conclusion, he told me, “You know, people often ask me how I feel about being out on the streets? You know what I tell them? I am loved and spoiled by my Lord Jesus.”

Him telling me that today was something I needed to hear and fully know. I regularly envy others because of the jobs they have and the experiences they get to “rack up.” I often feel like everyone else in my life and the entire world is “spoiled by God” because they were born “normal” without illnesses or disabilities.

Yet, when I think about it, and while the word choice may be wrong, I am indeed “spoiled by God” or rather “abundantly blessed.” I live in a city, in an apartment at a surprisingly low price, compared to many of my friends. I often hear how the cost of living in Fort Collins is constantly rising, yet mine has barely rose at all. How then can I say I am not blessed? I have friends, family, and countless ones who love me. I have purpose and life, a relationship with Jesus, and am divinely placed here by Him. That, in turn, leaves me “every reason to dance, to sing, and to believe…”

I don’t know if I’ll ever see Robert again but I know that God is more than capable of leading me to more people to minister to and to be ministered by. I am reminded of this simply because of Robert’s parting words: “If you ever see me again, feel free to talk to me and the Lord anytime.”

For it wasn’t just Robert I got to spend time with today, but Jesus Christ himself.

Matthew 18:20 NIV

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Until Next Time,

Jacobo