Homeless in PK

As I was driving along the arterial the other day in Poughkeepsie, NY I noticed a homeless man standing by the side of the road.  He looked very disheveled with a long scraggly beard, dirt on his face, multiple layers of clothes on his back and a shopping cart filled with what appeared to be his possessions.  He stood by himself, back turned to the setting sun, holding a sign that says "Jesus loves you.  I'm a believer.  Please help me."

This truly resonated with me, and no I did not stop, though I wanted to.  It took me several days to understand why I was so shaken by this man.  I don't know if he is a believer.  I don't know where he came from or what life predicaments brought him to the situation he currently was in.  But I do know two things.

This man may not be a Christian but he knew who to turn to in his weakness.  Whether it was for appearance sake or to speak to others to take pity on him, Jesus Christ was where he turned.  The one person who walked the Earth with an unrelenting compassion for the poor.

Secondly, if he was a believer he was looking to his fellow believers for support.  I suppose this speaks to me since I am in the midst of fund raising.  I too am looking for supporters who believe in our cause and ministry. People who are feeling called to sponsor me as I am feeling called to be a medical missionary.  This homeless man was appealing to Christians, Christ followers who are to love their neighbors as themselves.

I don't want to get political.  I know the homeless in America have many various socioeconomic problems and psychiatric disorders that have placed them in their current situation.  I know there are many,  many programs in the states to help people in their need.  But, it is incredible that in our society that appears so far from the lifestyle Jesus calls us to live; a person will still attempt to appeal to fellow humans through the cross. Two thousand years later.

I haven't seen that man since.  I pray that he sought help.  That he saw Jesus in the form of humanity.  And that perhaps, whether he was calling out to Christ for appearance sake or truly believed his words, that Christ was revealed to him.  As I pray he is to you.