(Matthew 11:12)
My
wife and I drove up to Lowe’s Hardware today, and while she went into the
store, I remained in the car; all the while listening to “Elvis Radio.”
And
as I sat there, I happened to look to my right. And what greeted my eyes,
though I am 70 years of age, was a “first” for me.
I
noticed a man and a woman standing next to a non-descript clothing donation
bin. I say “non-descript” since there was no name brand, such as “Goodwill
Industries” on the side. And I suppose I should correct myself when I tell you
the man and woman were standing. At least the woman was standing. All I could
see of the man was a very large posterior, and a pair of feet wearing what
appeared to be lace-up dress shoes. For you see, “Henry’s” head, neck and
shoulders were not visible to me, since they were tucked inside the lid of the
bin. They were almost certainly homeless people searching for clothing.
It
was then that I noticed a shopping cart next to the woman, and a large pile of
clothing on the ground on the right side of the bin. And now the butt moved.
And now I saw the man’s legs dangling against the front of the bin. He was
coming out.
After
“Henry” dismounted the bin, I saw him sit down next to it, as if he was trying
to catch his breath, and relax from his recent pilgrimage to the middle of a
used clothing container.
Pt.
2
Tonight,
as I thought of writing this particular blog, I began to wish that I had taken
a picture of the woman, what was originally visible of the man’s anatomy, and
the clothing bin. And it was then I thought, “I bet there are similar photos on
the internet.” And thus, I immediately googled, “Man, woman, homeless, clothing
bin.”
I
would not be disappointed. For what came up was a newspaper story, and a couple
of pictures of folks engaged in the fine art of rummaging through donation
bins. One of the photographs looked surprisingly like my “picture that never
was.”
The
newspaper story recounted a few unfortunate deaths of homeless men and women in
Canada. It seems that having experienced the same idea, as the previously
mentioned subjects of my blog, they had gotten caught in their respective bins,
and had either suffocated or died of abject shock.
As
I continued to look at “Henry” and “Hazel,” the former of the two assumed a
prostrate position on the pavement, and I thought, “Buddy, you must be ‘slap
worn out,’ ‘cause that asphalt has to be hot!”
And
it occurred to me that these two homeless people were in the process of
breaking the law; “right there in front of God and everybody.” And yet, I
doubted that one of “Charlie’s boys” would have done anything, but warn them. I
mean, who could be so heartless as to deny them this momentary opportunity to
“feast” at this outdoor “clothing buffet?”
(Certainly
not me)
Pt.
3
Having
watched the entire scenario, the scripture with which I began this blog came to
me.
“And from the days of John
the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent
take it by force.”
(Matthew
11:12)
I
mean, here was a man and woman “who would not be denied.” And while I have
mixed opinions about their plight in life vs. the way in which they choose to
procure their clothing, (given what they were doing is illegal), no one can
deny that “Henry” and “Hazel” were resolute, committed and persistent when it
came to doing what they came to do.
And
I think the Body of Christ should be doing much the same thing, resolute,
committed and persistent in their desire to please God with our thoughts,
attitudes, words and actions.
Over
50 years ago, I sat in a college classroom in central Florida. Our professor
was a lovely, middle-aged English woman. And as she opened the class that day,
she told a poignant story.
“Last night
I had a dream. In the dream I was somehow transported to heaven. And I stood
beneath the throne of none other than our Lord Jesus Christ.
His brown
eyes were piercing to behold. Every strand of His auburn hair was in place. His
countenance was radiant. And then,
… then I
looked downward.
And what I
saw horrified me. For you see, His chest was sunken. His arms were emaciated.
Every rib shown through His parchment skin.
And then it
occurred to me.
… The Body
of Christ.
While the Head
is fine and wonderful to behold, thank you, the Body is unhealthy, and in need
of attention.”
Christ’ Body. His believers on earth, at least a
great many of them, leave much to be desired.
Fickleness, In-fighting, Temptations, Immaturity,
Abject Sin.
As scripture reminds us. “These things ought not to
be.”
A
sad statement and characterization of some, but certainly not all, modern day
believers.
I
don’t know if “Henry” and “Hazel” were right or wrong. Thankfully, I am not homeless
nor hungry, nor bereft of the provisions of life.
I
do know that they were committed, resolute and would not be denied.
I
think the Body of Christ on this earth have something to learn from this
unfortunate couple.
by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pending
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