last week i was leaving walmart in a rush. i don’t particulary love shopping at walmart, anyone with me on this? i could be there at 2 am and i would still wait in line for at least 25 minutes. i could go on and on of the crazy stories that have happened to me while at wally world, but today i will just state that their toilet paper, paper towels, toothbrushes, and things of that nature, are a whole lot cheaper than at the grocery store… and we were in need of all those things and more. caleb was working in late. my mom was watching the boys for me, foster had an awful diaper rash and was waiting on the desitin that i just bought. they were all ready to eat dinner. it was 5:30 and i was running late.
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as i pulled up to the light to turn out of walmart and go pick up our pizza for dinner i saw this girl. a woman, really. she looked about my age, maybe a little younger. she had short, frizzy hair, a big puffy jacket on, a sign in her hands, and nothing else. her sign said something along the lines of “traveling. have no food. anything will help.”
i was three cars away from her in the turning lane, and the light was changing to green, as i starred at her. even from that far away i could see the sadness in her eyes. it was cold and it was getting dark. she was hungry. was anyone going to give her food? where was she going? where was she from? what was her story? what was her truth? i couldn’t stop thinking about her. i said a quick prayer for her as i was driving, and called my mom and told her i’d be a couple more minutes.
it’s easy to put myself first. it’s easy to put my excuses of running late, the hungry kids with diaper rashes waiting at home, and relieving my mom of watching them, first. those are not bad things. i need to care for my family and care for them well. but, she needed a little love and little food tonight. i have those two things. and i have 15 minutes. most of us have 15 minutes.
i went back home the long way, pulled over on the side of the busy intersection and handed her some hot new york pizza and garlic knots. and if you haven’t had garlic knots, you haven’t lived.
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she was so thankful. she said it, but even more so, i could see it in her eyes. thankful for something hot, thankful for something to fill her belly. thankful for a smiling face. i was so thankful that the Lord reminded me that i need to be more intentional about serving those in need. i was so thankful for the blessing of blessing others. i need to do this because He commands it of me. there is many a scripture that i can write off as not applying to me. well, you know, this was written a long time ago…. well, that was back then…. well, i’m a busy mom of young kids. i have my family to take care of. but, wait my friends! He is talking to us. He is talking to me.
“sell your possessions and give to the poor. provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”- luke 12:33
james 1:27 “religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
i share her story not to boast of what i did. because, quite frankly, i could have done a lot more. i didn’t give her all our groceries, i didn’t invite her to our house for a warm, homemade meal. i didn’t invite her to church and say Jesus loves you! i just handed her a slice of pizza and a couple garlic knots, smiled, and said i was praying for her.
i share her story to remind myself to do more. to take the extra minute to smile at the stranger, to thank someone, to help someone who needs it, to give to those in need.
i share her story to bring you, and mostly me, back to the place of what thanksgiving, christmas, and this whole holiday season is all about.
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“remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. and God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. as it is written: ‘He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.’” 2 Corinthians 9:6-9
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beautiful reminder. praise jesus.
lord, open our eyes and hands for your kingdom business!
love you!
God bless you. A homeless couple approached us for our leftovers outside of a restaurant in Atlanta. When we gave them to them, they devoured them. It hurt my heart that two people would be that hungry within 500 yards of 10 or more restaurants filled with people throwing away food. I'm getting teary thinking about it months later. I don't like giving people money but I can never ever deny them food.
Thank you for this.
That girl is someone's daughter.
And I need to remember that sometimes.
Thanks Danielle for the reminder!
i can't even say how much i love this! it's what it's all about girl! serving others. what a great reminder.
man. i used to feel that way here ( virginia beach) when i would see homeless on teh corners holding up signs saying similar things. they were all written on the back of beer 12 pack cases.
i gave some money at first. collected a bunch of warm socks, clothes, and non perishable food and a mcdonalds gift card for one man in particular.
i think the fact that i see probably 10 homeless people standing on corners a day , or sleeping outside building and on teh stage at the ocean front when i teach bootcamp at 5am is starting to …….i dont know the word… but it doesnt make me feel as bad anymore.
it is sad. i do want to help those in need. but when you see it every single day… and you see the same men on teh same corner with teh same sign for 5 months…. u start to wonder.
What a great post.
I am glad you shared it.
I think everyone has moments like this. But most people just ignore them.
I travel a lot to visit my family, and at my one stop in Springfield there is always someone at the corner with a sign. The last time I took my extra food with me, and as I pulled up I held it up to the older man standing there. He came to the window, and I poked it out to him. He said thanks, but as I drove away I saw him lay it down and continue standing with the sign. It made me wonder if her was really hungry or if he just wanted money…the human side of me. I do have a hard time just handing out money, but I shouldn't be worrying about what they would do with it. I should worry about the fact that I wasn't willing to share when I am so blessed. I will remember your story and mine as I travel each time, and it continues to get colder. The least I could do is buy a little extra food and stick it out my window for someone in need. Thanks for sharing.
this was beautiful. and yes, i believe that we should remember the true meaning of the season – and try to continue it throughout the year.
what a wonderful thing Danielle!! So cool to see how God is using his people to reach others and to express His Love.
Hey Danielle, thanks for sharing that story. It is a good reminder to us all…
~em
talesforkarina.blogspot.com
Beautiful!! Thank you for this little reminder that we are all capable of changing someones life for the better.
There are times when it doesn't feel right – like you don't feel they really need it. Some people really can be scammers. But, then there are those times, when I feel so compelled, God is literally moving my hand to my purse to get my coin purse out for the few dollars I do carry. Those are the times, when you know you have done something He would have done. 🙂
This is a really beautiful post. It had me quite teary-eyed and then I saw thechattymommy's comment about that woman being someone's daughter and now I am full-on crying. Thank you for taking care of her in that moment. And thank you for a really lovely reminder of what life is all about.
thank you for this reminder. i work in downtown seattle and like most downtowns, it's such a contrast of the "haves" and "have-nots."
it hurts my heart and I struggle to know what to do… money? donations to charities? food? a smile?
this is something we all should be thinking and praying about.
oh danielle i love you.
I know you're not trying to take all the glory…but, what you did was huge. Or rather answering the call of God tugging on your heart to be a tangible reminder to that girl that she was not forgotten by God. You planted the seed of God's love and mercy…and hopefully sometime soon, God will send another person to her.
I love your reminder. thank you.
A beautiful reminder. Thanks for this.
I LOVE this post…you are such an amazing person for listening to Him!
Ok, I'm crying. The town that I live in has a homeless ministry downtown called Church Under the Bridge. This is their website: http://cubsa.org/ They meet under an overpass (in the past year they bought a lot around the corner for an actual building) downtown and the volunteers hand out clothing and food. There's always a huge worship service and a message given. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas there's about double the amount of homeless that regularly attend. The regulars are the best at spreading the word. They're so hungry for all that we have to give them. So hungry for the word.
It's such an amazing place to be. It's so dirty, so loud, and so real. No matter if you're homeless or a volunteer, you know that you're one in the same. We're all His children. We're all homeless right now. We are not home. We are all sinners raising our hands to our Savior. It's incredible. It's so real.
Thank you for sharing your story!
you have a precious heart i love that i know you and can call you friend 🙂 thankful for your encouragement and reminder to me today. love you!
amen. and amen. so powerful just to be reminded of what is important, and what God might be putting (literally) in our path to serve Him in. and to serve others. love to you….
i love you and i love the emotions you stir up in my with your words.
"for God loves a cheerful giver."
THAT stirs me up!
thank you, Danielle, for the awesome reminder, and for sharing your heart today. you are a blessing.
xo
Wonderful! Many of the scriptures you used were today in my head. Perfect reminder to send those verses home to my heart.
love and blessings.
thank you Danielle! xo
On Tuesday night, as I was coming out of Michael's, there was a lady sitting there crouched on the pavement with her little boy. She wasn't holding a sign or anything. I wanted to go say something to her so bad but I was going to meet my Mom for dinner. Plus, I had no cash. And as I pulled away in my nice truck, I thought, "Rebecca, you should have stopped just to show you cared, even though you couldn't have given her anything." Maybe she was just sitting there waiting for someone or maybe her car broke down. But the LOOK on her face said something different. Such a lesson to me.
On the flip side, my brother gave a guy gas the very next day. He has a lawn care co. and of course had lots of gas in 5 gallon containers in his trailer. He gave the guy the Gospel and told how much God blesses us when we live for Him.
I think people just need to know that someone cares….no matter how much or how little we give them.
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
hi beauty! i have to tell you i had a very similar experience the other day…super young girl, frizzy hair, a dog, and a cardboard sign in front of our grocery store. she looked like an orphan out of annie, her clothes were so tattered. i talked to her and offered to bring her out lunch. i asked her if she had a place to stay. she was so cheerful and told me she hitchhikes across the country. my mind flashed through horror stories of how she may possibly be abused…i was heartbroken when i came out with my bag of things for her to find she had left. still praying for her…sometimes it's painful to see God's loved ones with His eyes.
Thank you for this, I needed this.
This is such a good reminder. The Lord has put giving on my heart lately, been pushing me in places that are uncomfortable and addressing some attitudes that I've had in deep places that I wasn't one hundred percent aware of. I totally agree with you, no matter what the Lord tells us to give and help and most importantly LOVE. Thanks for sharing this Danielle!