WHAT IF GOD WAS ONE OF US?
I gave $5 to a man sitting outside of McDonald’s today. His sign read: “Any help would be appreciated. I just need food. :-)”
I looked at the cars in front of me in the drive-thru line: a Range Rover, a BMW, an Audi, a Tesla, and a couple of Mercedes. None of them stopped to help this man. Windows rolled tightly shut. Drivers staring forward. Air conditioning blasting inside. Because, you see, with so many people unhoused in this city, it’s much more comfortable to ignore those in need, rather than look them in the eyes and face their truth.
Today I chose to look in his eyes.
He looked to be about 30 years old, maybe nearer to 40. It was hard to tell. His face was weathered, his blonde beard thick. He had a really nice smile and I pictured him as a total babe in high school whose life pivoted somehow, putting him here, at the curb, at the entrance to a fast food drive-thru in a privileged suburb of Los Angeles.
I normally don’t have cash on me, but I knew I had to find something in my purse to give him. I could have asked him what he wanted to eat and bought him a meal, but the line was so long, I thought giving money would just be easier.
“Sir? Here. I’m sorry, it’s all I have on me at the moment. I wish I could give you more.”
His hand, browned and leathered from the sun, reached out to take the money as he smiled, thanked me, and said, “I like your sunglasses.”
I smiled back and said, “thanks!”
He said he’d get something to eat once it wasn’t so busy, then asked me what time it was.
“Noon,” I said.
“Ahhhh, that’s why. It’s lunch time.”
As the cars ahead of me moved forward, I had to say goodbye to my new friend. I told him to be safe and eat as soon as he could. I wish I would have asked him his name. Hindsight. Next time.
Every paycheck, I budget money to tithe. Not to a church. But to humanity. In the words of George Costanza, to the “Human Fund.” One week a friend could need money. Next week, an organization. Today, a guy who just wanted a Big Mac and something to drink on a 90 degree day in the San Fernando Valley. Some weeks I give more, some weeks, less. Some weeks the money goes into a “virtual pot” for a tithing emergency that might present itself.
I am so fortunate to have a job that allows me to help those in need. I am beyond grateful for the ability to do so. Far too often, we get caught up in our own lives and look to those on the outside as separate from us. Newsflash: as divided as we are as a human race, we are all in this together.
The city of Los Angeles is facing a major housing catastrophe. Thousands living in the streets mere feet away from Multi-million dollar mansions. The contrast never escapes me. In fact, it magnifies itself more every day. With 29,000 Los Angelenos unhoused, and more than 41,000 without adequate housing - we are in crisis mode.
It’s a hot-button issue in this year’s mayoral race. “Let’s strengthen rent control.” “Let’s open up abandoned buildings and use them to house those in need.” “Let’s divert funds away from police and move them toward social services.” So many ideas. Not many answers.
How about we each - those of us who can - reach out to people we see every day and ask them, “How can I help you today?” Imagine how far we’d get.
Six easy words: How. Can. I. Help. You. Today.
It starts by humanizing those around us. I see every single adult who is struggling as a child. I picture them as a toddler. Maybe they had a parent who loved them, maybe they were not so fortunate. But they were dependent once in their lives on adults, and somewhere along the line were failed. And we continue to fail them today.
I also look at every person in need on the streets - those laying in doorways, those in makeshift tents, shopping carts full of their worldly belongings, and ask, “What if this is Jesus?” To me it makes perfect sense. Jesus would not come back as a rich guy in an Armani suit. Nope. He would test us all by coming back as someone struggling. Those are the people he gravitated toward when he was alive. How did Christians veer so far from this lesson?
So as we all move forward into this holiday weekend, celebrating our country’s independence, think for a second about what would make this country TRULY great again. Love for those around us. Charity. Tolerance. Unity. I think that's the key to being a productive human in this lifetime. Collective good deeds on our death beds will never bring regret.
Let’s all be a part of the “Human Fund.” What do you say?
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