I was late to class

I woke up this morning with no desire to go join my Christ following family in our weekly gathering. This is odd for me because Sunday is my favorite day of the week and I LOVE my particular family gathering. I sat around for about an hour and a half and eventually made the decision to go, though it was a struggle for me. I also knew I needed to go the grocery store because my small group was planning on getting together for a pot luck lunch afterwards and I didn't feel like actually cooking anything.

Eight thirty, therefore, found me in line at McDonalds in my neighborhood Wal Mart purchasing a diet coke to get me going while I shopped. I had to rush around a bit to get what I needed because our Bible Study classes start at 9:30 and I hate being late. At check out, I had 15 minutes to unload my groceries and make the drive to our building, typically an 8 minute drive.

After unloading my bags into my car, I exited the parking lot, singing to a great song on KLOVE, my radio station of choice, and noticed a homeless, handicap man sitting in the grass just off the property holding a sign that said "Homeless and Handicapped. Please Help." As I passed by, he made eye contact with me. And yes, I drove on, like I have many times, past many homeless people in my city and other cities. I felt a twinge of guilt sense I knew I had the means to help him out but I excused that guilt and him by thinking "The food I just bought for lunch our group will need (who was I kidding?) and everything else I bought was really more basic cooking food and supplies than anything he will use. Besides, I am going to be late for class." And so, I kept driving until I came to the next stop light, where I had to sit for, what seemed like, an incredible amount of time. While at that stop light another wonderful song came on KLOVE. I turned the radio up and started singing along, as loudly as I could, not really comprehending the words to the song, partly because my 8 minute drive was now taking longer than 8 minutes and I was gong to be late.

As I made my turn, singing, something stilled in me (read "the Holy Spirit moved in me") and I really began paying attention to the words of the song.

"I will live

To carry your compassion

To love a world that's broken

To be Your hands and feet

I will give

With the life that I'd been given

And go beyond religion

To see the world be changed

By the power of Your"

God has a sense of humor, huh?

I came to the next light and circled back to Wal Mart. I walked in intending to go to McDonald's and buy this man breakfast. I found myself instead walking (again read "the Holy Spirit walked me") to the cooler where they keep the pre-made deli sandwiches. I grabbed a sandwich, a bag of chips and a bottle water. The cashier made the comment "Buying lunch, huh?"

Here, I hesitated. I mean, I was not doing this for recognition. I was doing this because I was convicted by the song and I had Matthew 25:35 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink..." running constantly through my head after the man made eye contact with me. So I said "Well, not really..." I went on to tell her my story. She seemed stunned but then went on to tell me about a homeless man near her apartment building she had helped recently. She ended by saying "It's just the right thing to do, right?" I responded with "Well, it is what Christ would have done."

I turned and went to McDonald's bought a sausage biscuit and an orange juice (which totaled the exact change I had in my purse...hmmm) and then drove back over to the man. I handed him the bag with his food in it and said "God bless you." He said "I had given up and thought no one in this neighborhood cared. This was just what I needed." I responded with "Well, sir, God cares." or something like that and he looked like he was going to cry. I drove off, almost in tears myself.

I was late to class.

Now, don't read this and respond with "That is so great Ginger!" Or "Wow! You did a wonderful thing." This event obviously had nothing at all to do with me. This had to with God. Remember, I didn't want to go church this morning.