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Someone to care

Linda’s Lines
Linda Wegner

I’ve taken up bus riding these past weeks and, frankly, the less I have to drive now, the better. I know that I may tire of it, but to date I find it relaxing to let someone else bring me to the walking track or to town. One morning this week, however, I saw something entirely new but so soul-satisfying.

As I sat inside the doors of our local mall waiting for the bus that would take me back home, a dishevelled man walked through the doors and sat not far from me. I’ll call him Frank, just to make storytelling a bit easier. I smiled at him and said hello and thought that would be the end of the encounter. Several minutes later, an equally unkempt gentleman I’ll call Mike shuffled down the mall.

“Mike,” Frank called, “Can you lend me enough money for a coffee? I’ve got to have something.” Although I confess this doesn’t happen often, my immediate thought was, “I’m going to buy them both breakfast!” Almost simultaneously I realized I only had my bus pass and my house keys with me. Good intentions squashed.

Mike responded almost as quickly as I contemplated the situation, “I’ll check,” he said, “I just got to make sure I have enough money for beer.” That’s when I saw something that’s so easy to overlook.

As customary as it is to judge and withdraw from folks of their ilk, I saw a comradeship and care that sometimes seems disturbingly rare among the general population and although I’m not advocating buying breakfast for every person we meet, my heart was touched by Mike’s willingness to share the little he had.

“Add to your faith… brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love.” (2 Peter 1:7)

How can God use me (or you) today to meet someone else’s need?