The Bag Lady & The Homeless Youth

Photo by Kristjan Logason 

Morning Drive

Most mornings that I drive to work, I have to stop at a light as soon as I get off the freeway. This corner almost always has a person begging for money. I try to have some change handy to give them. I have been giving money to these people and others I encounter (mostly when I am in downtown Dallas) since 2005. I'd like to tell you that I had always been motivated to be charitable, but that would be lie. No, instead, God blessed me with a life changing experience.

Can I have your book?

Twice a week my colleagues and I take a group of high school students to the Frank Crowley Courts Building to observe real court cases. On one particular rainy morning I drove my own car to court instead of riding the bus. I got out of the car, grabbed my umbrella and secured a book on prayer a friend from my parish had given me. I hadn't gotten very far when a homeless women darted out from behind another parked car, blocking my path. She grumbled, "Give me a dollar." I told her I didn't have one to give. Of course this was a lie. She wasn't done with me yet. "Give me your book," she demanded. I hugged the book to my chest like a little girl gripping a doll and meekly said NO as I hurried around her.

Second Thoughts

I had turned down panhandlers before. I had denied having money. I had even pretended I didn't see them as I walked by or simply ignored them as they spoke to me through my car's window. It never bothered me before. For some reason, this time I was bothered by inaction. I sat waiting for our court time to be over, vowing to find that lady in the parking lot and give her money for lunch. When I went back out to the lot, I didn't see her anywhere. Intent on finding her, I drove around and through each row of the lot looking for her. Finally, I found her, but someone else was taking care of her. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with guilt and I began to cry. "Lord, I let you down," I cried out in the emptiness of my car. I drove away in shame.

Lord, please give me a second chance.

As I finally composed myself, I prayed that the Lord would give me another chance to serve Him. I recalled the words of the hymn I sang so often as a boy" "That which you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me." I asked God to put another person in my path to help. I assumed it would be something simple like giving a few dollars. Boy was I wrong! 

Excuse me sir, can you help me?

That weekend, my wife and thirty other women were putting on the second Christ Renews His Parish retreat for another group of women. The men from the previous retreat were tasked to clean up and take down the retreat furnishings. While I was loading my car with items from the retreat chapel, I saw a young man walking up the side of the Church. It was getting dark and I didn't recognize him, but I assumed he was one of high school boys from the youth ministry. As he approached, he called out, "Excuse me sir, can you help me?" I thought he was going to ask for directions. Instead, he explained that he and his father had had a huge argument and he had been kicked out of the house.  He was clearly shaking from the cold and he confessed he hadn't eaten in days.

I've got to do this.

I instantly knew that this young man was sent as an answer to my prayer. You see, we live in fairly comfortable suburb and we just don't have homeless people wandering around. I asked him to take a seat on the step while I went inside to see if I could get him some help. 

The ladies had a huge amount of lasagna leftover from their dinner. They helped me fixed him a hearty plate and we set him up in one of the classrooms to eat. One of the other men found a spare coat for him to wear. There was still the question of what he would do about shelter. Fortunately, one of the ladies on the retreat was the parish secretary and she found a directory of shelters.

As I was walking back to see the young man I ran into my wife and she asked me what I was doing. I told her about the young man and I explained that I intended to take him to a local shelter. "I've got to do this. God sent him to me." Stacey understood and just insisted that I take another one of the men with me. After the young man had consumed a second plate of food, my friend, Sylvio and I took the young man to a shelter in downtown Dallas.

Spare Change

Now, I try to carry some spare change or loose bills to give out whenever I am asked. Since that day, God has also put a number of students in my life who have needed help. Sometimes that has meant buying them a meal, giving them a ride or finding them a home. While these acts have not been as dramatic as the one at my church, the Lord has used those opportunities to help me see Christ in others, especially those in need.

As we begin this season of Lent, let's all look for opportunities to serve others.