A Poor Widow & A Homeless Man
Last night my parents were in town and took Martina and I out for dinner at East Side. You haven’t lived until you’ve witnessed Martina devour 6 (or 9) loaves of bread on her own. My mom on the other hand literally takes three bites from her meal and is stuffed.
As we were leaving the restaurant we were approached by a homeless man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He wanted to know if he could have my mom’s leftovers. My mom graciously obliged, and before the man could even look to see what he received I heard him yell, “Hey man, you want some?” He quickly ran over to an older man sitting in his wheelchair wearing a Santa suit, holding up a sign that was asking for money to fix his broken sleigh. The younger man took the food and split it between Santa and himself. The two men then sat and enjoyed their meal together.
I keep replaying the scene in my head over and over. Words cannot even begin to describe how beautiful the moment was. The younger man offered up half of what was given to him before he even knew what or how much he had. I can’t help but think about the story in Mark about the widow who offered her last few coins.
Mark 12 41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. 43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."
Living in Toronto I’m surrounded by homelessness. I’ve given money and food but what I’ve given has never made a dent in my pocket or made me go hungry. Not to say that we shouldn’t give to people who are in need, but I’m guessing I’m not the poor widow in the story. It’s easy to justify not giving, or only giving what we have leftover. If someone were to ask me for change, but all I had was $3 for the subway, I’d most likely apologize to that person and tell them that I have no change to give them. Proverbs 3:27-28 teaches us that we should never pass up an opportunity to help someone when we have the power to do so.
I feel blessed just having had the opportunity to witness the two men sharing their meal together. To give away half of what you have when you have practically nothing; truly a loving and selfless act. He took his blessing and used to it bless someone else. He probably went to bed still a little bit hungry but completely satisfied knowing he was able to ease someone else’s hunger, even if just a little.
My prayer is that we can learn to give. To give like the widow. To give like the young homeless man. To give until it hurts. To give to the point where we may put ourselves into situations that may not be as comfortable as we’d like. To give and trust that God will provide.
As we were leaving the restaurant we were approached by a homeless man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He wanted to know if he could have my mom’s leftovers. My mom graciously obliged, and before the man could even look to see what he received I heard him yell, “Hey man, you want some?” He quickly ran over to an older man sitting in his wheelchair wearing a Santa suit, holding up a sign that was asking for money to fix his broken sleigh. The younger man took the food and split it between Santa and himself. The two men then sat and enjoyed their meal together.
I keep replaying the scene in my head over and over. Words cannot even begin to describe how beautiful the moment was. The younger man offered up half of what was given to him before he even knew what or how much he had. I can’t help but think about the story in Mark about the widow who offered her last few coins.
Mark 12 41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. 43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."
Living in Toronto I’m surrounded by homelessness. I’ve given money and food but what I’ve given has never made a dent in my pocket or made me go hungry. Not to say that we shouldn’t give to people who are in need, but I’m guessing I’m not the poor widow in the story. It’s easy to justify not giving, or only giving what we have leftover. If someone were to ask me for change, but all I had was $3 for the subway, I’d most likely apologize to that person and tell them that I have no change to give them. Proverbs 3:27-28 teaches us that we should never pass up an opportunity to help someone when we have the power to do so.
I feel blessed just having had the opportunity to witness the two men sharing their meal together. To give away half of what you have when you have practically nothing; truly a loving and selfless act. He took his blessing and used to it bless someone else. He probably went to bed still a little bit hungry but completely satisfied knowing he was able to ease someone else’s hunger, even if just a little.
My prayer is that we can learn to give. To give like the widow. To give like the young homeless man. To give until it hurts. To give to the point where we may put ourselves into situations that may not be as comfortable as we’d like. To give and trust that God will provide.
posted by naomi at
11:21 PM
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