The main inspiration came from one particular night in San Francisco where I saw a homeless man passed out drunk on the sidewalk of a main street. No-one even checked to see if he was breathing let alone give him other forms of help, and I was one of those people. I had been thinking long and hard over summer about love, compassion and the nature of true manhood and I knew the true man (Jesus) would have selflessly given himself up to help that man passed out on the street. So once back at my hostel I got a sandwich and some water and headed back out, but the man was gone.
Some may say I did well for going back at all, but why wasn't it a natural reaction to help? Why did I have to even consider it? I want to develop a love, compassion and identity in Christ that means not only will I help the broken when I see them, but that I will actively look for them, crossing the street to find them, not to get away from them.
Though I focus on the homeless in this post the message is meant to apply to all who are struggling and need encouragement, from the rich businessman whose wife has left him to the teenager with depression. We all need support at times and I hope that is the level this message is read at.
"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good." - Martin Luther King Jr
"Loving those who are poor means that I know those who are poor. If I do not love the particular individual who is poor, then saying I love the poor is nothing more than saying I love an idea. A circumstance. Rather than loving a human being with a name and story and eyes that see my eyes, I love a face-less being that inhabits a particular socio-economic status I deem beneath me." - Nate Pyle
The rest of this post was written that night in my hostel room in San Francisco and I hope the raw emotions that were running through me at the time can still be felt in my words.
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As I've walked the cities of America I've seen one recurring theme - brokenness. From the beaches of Miami to the Las Vegas strip, from Central Park to the White House, everywhere I look I see a hurting world. And in fact I have lied, there were two recurring themes. The other, a lack of compassion, and if not compassion then courage, and if not courage then truth.
Please don't think I'm writing this from a lofty moral balcony. I'm writing this out my own guilt and shame. Sure I've given a few dollars to a homeless person here or there, but what good does that do apart from ease my guilt ridden conscience? In fact it probably does more bad than good, often just helping feed an alcohol or drug addiction.
When you see a homeless person so drunk they've collapsed on the floor, or relieving themselves in the street do you feel disgusted and repulsed or does your heart bleed? How sad a time we live in when someone is so desperate and broken that total inebriation is the only way they can soften their pain and we walk past or even cross the street to keep a safe distance from them.
For many people I don't believe this is because of a lack of compassion, for some it's not even a lack of confidence, for most it is simply a lack of truth. The truth that we can make a difference to that man passed out on the street, to that lady crying on a park bench. The truth that showing compassion means more than just harbouring it. But mostly the truth that your actions aren't too small, giving some words of encouragement, a bottle of water, a sandwich, even a hello.
Too many times I have withheld my compassion because I knew I couldn't help in a 'big' way. I couldn't give that homeless person somewhere to stay the night, so I didn't even ask if they would like some food. I didn't want to fulfil that man's wishes of a few dollars, so I didn't bother to even acknowledge him and give him some words of encouragement.
The world shouts problems at us and great needs. We get bombarded with news of great atrocities, millions fleeing their homes. We then watch films where superheroes save the world and we start to think, what can we really do? What difference can we really make in a world with such hurt? And then we see a homeless person and see the small amount we can give as insignificant, not even worth bothering with.
In the midst of such huge pain I believe God is calling us to arms in a small way. Calling us to give what we can, no matter how insignificant we feel it is. To give a kind word to that lady crying on the bench, to ask that homeless person about their story, to be compassionate and courageous in the small things. Changing the world one kind word at a time rather than waiting to give a whole speech that might never come.
What this world needs is not a superhero, but a world full of ordinary compassionate and courageous people. A people that focuses on what they 'can' do rather than on what they 'can't'.
Don't get me wrong, the big things are important too and we should all be thinking and praying of ways we can help tackle the big issues of our neighbourhood, city, country and world. But don't let this blind you from the significance of the small things. From acknowledging those people this world often overlooks. For "whatever you have done for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you have done for me" (Matt 25:40).
Jesus said that it is through our faithful handling of the small things that we grow to attain the big things (Matt 25:23). I am just worried that in a world that is obsessed with the big things that our generation has forgotten the beauty and power of the small things.
So I hope you will join me in this call to small arms. I look forward to seeing you sat on the street corner laughing with that homeless man about the latest football result or consoling someone who has just lost everything due to a gambling addiction. You may not be able to fix all their problems, but our God has shown us that love is the great healer that can give hope in despair, life in death and light in darkness, so go out boldly and start changing the world one kind word at a time.
Words speak to minds but music speaks to hearts so please watch this music video and make it your anthem for the day - Brandon Heath - Give Me Your Eyes.
Extra material
This is a well known story that encapsulates a lot of what I have said above - Starfish
This is an article I read recently that gives a good account of how we should love the poor and is well worth reading - I don't love those who are poor
