becoming invisible

When I was a kid the berry farmers would hire people to pick strawberrys starting in May and what was really awesome is they would let the kids out of school 2 weeks early if they were pickers. So every year that I could, I signed up to pick. In my first year of picking eligibility, I was a scrawny little 12 years old. One day, about half way through the morning, I came across a patch of rotten berrys, so, after picking several and realizing they were rotten one at a time, I got frustrated and started chucking the bad ones. Well, one hit this girl that was picking a few rows over. She was about twice my height, 3 times my weight and around 16 or 17 years old. She stood up and said, in a very intimidating voice, "if you throw one more berry at me, I'll give you a berry shampoo!"

Well, that was just to much for me to handle, so, what did I do? Yep, I chucked another berry at her. Then, without further warning she walked right over, slapped me upside the head and grabbed a pint of my berrys and smeared them in my hair, working up a nice sticky lather. I was in shock! I just couldn't believe it! All the other kids in the area just pointed and laughed as I was absolutely embarrassed, I just wanted to become invisible and disappear.

Last Saturday, Joel and I went to the park and took a couple pizzas with us. We fed a couple of homeless guys and were walking around looking for more. It was a beautiful 79 degree day with a slight breeze. Blankets and people dotted the grass, everyone enjoying the mild January weather. Then a guy sitting alone in the midst of everyone else caught my eye. I felt like God was saying "him", I wasn't sure if I heard right, because he looked just like everyone else. We walked up and asked him if he was hungry. He was surprised and said he could use a slice of pizza. We sat down and the first thing he said was "I spent the night at a homeless shelter last night. It's the first time I ever did that." We sat and talked  for a half hour or more and ended up praying with him.

So many homeless and hungry people out there are just wanting to blend in, becoming invisible. For some reason, we all naturally want to hide our hurts and pains. We want to hide our situations, hoping it will go away and we'll wake up to something else. Yet there is also something inside us that wants someone to know, we want someone to listen. Even if they can't help, as long as someone listens, it makes us feel more normal. When talking to the homeless, sometimes I feel it necessary to reassure them that God has not forgotten them and that he knows what they are going through and loves them no matter what. It validates them when they hear that Jesus hung out with the poor and the addicts. It makes them realize that they matter. 

Jesus wants to hear from us. He wants to hear what's bothering us, what hurts us, what needs we have. He wants us to turn to him with all our pain. Rich or poor, hungry or fed, He loves us so much that he paid the ultimate price, his death for our life.

Being invisible, might be desirable, but, it's also a very lonely place. So, who can you be the hands and feet of Jesus to? Or, maybe I should ask, who can you be the ears of Jesus to? They don't have to be homeless to be hurting. You may not be able to help them, but, if you take the time to listen, they'll never forget it and who knows, it might just be a step towards leading them to life.