Last night, as I was coming out of the PATH station, I see that my husband is talking to a man who looks like he could be homeless. I try and give all people the benefit of the doubt and believe that they are telling me the truth. So he's talking to us and is telling us about himself (his name was Eddie) and about generosity in his life and how he wished that he had never come to America (he was Puerto Rican). We listened and he asked us for a ride to a hospital the next day.
Of all the things we do not own, we do not own a car. He asked us for the cab fare to get to a hospital in the morning instead (which was where he asked for the ride to).
We continued talking and the subject came up to God. I'm not sure how long we talked when it's all said and done, but it was maybe 20 minutes and it left my husband and I with a feeling...and I can't describe it really. But I know that, for me, it really made me look at myself and what I have and what loving our neighbor really means.
Have you seen the movie Dogma? In it, God comes down in human form to play skeeball. I know, I know! Weird. But it's one of my favorite movies. My husband said to me, could it be the Dogma idea? And this scripture just kind of popped into my head:
Don't forget to be kind to strangers.
For some who have done this
have entertained angels without realizing it.
Hebrews 13:2
On a somewhat related note...on the idea of loving a stranger, I guess.
This is Baby Paxton.
Baby Paxton had heart surgery at 4 DAYS old. I almost put months. It was DAYS and he's still struggling. Only half of his heart works at this point and he won't have a full functioning heart until he's two years old. BabyBeBlessed has chosen him as their Give A Blessing Recipient.
It's not entirely about money, but more about prayers and what you feel moved to give. If you feel moved to pray more than give money, that's amazing because God really uses prayer. But if you feel moved to donate, the goal is to get Baby Paxton $1,000 by the end of November.
If you'd like to read more of the story, visit Baby Be Blessed and click on 'Give A Blessing.' (There are a few links in that sentence too)
Here's the widget if you want to check the progress through the month:
These are the times where you really wish you had money to give to people who truly need it. Lifting this specific need up in prayer that the funds are raised for this little angel.
ReplyDeleteLove and Hugs ~ Kat
What a wonderful thing that you even gave him the time of day. Most people wouldn't have done that! Thanks for the info on Baby Paxton. These stories touch my heart!
ReplyDeleteI don't call it fate, I call it divine intervention. I think everything is put in our path as a test and how we relate to the matter. I have walked by someone in need questioning whether they were genuine or if the cab fare would go towards something not necessary. We will always question the validity and if we made the right choice.
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing Baby Paxton's fight to the forefront...