The Least of These

Good Morning My Beloved Ones,

     I pray that your lights are shining brightly and moreso as the day around us darkens.

     Today I want to talk to you about "The Least of These".
  I went to a day conference one Saturday where I heard a sad, tragic and true story that has changed my outlook on life.  I want to share part of it with you.  There were two sisters who were very close growing up - flip sides of the same coin.  While one was loud, outgoing, friendly and oblivious to the things around her, her sister was quiet, introspective, and a sensitive loner.  Both grew up, got married, had a job, a vehicle and a home.  The outgoing sister had 6 children, the quiet sister had one little boy who was her world.  Life happened and tragedy struck the quiet sister.  She got a debilitating illness that left her mostly crippled.  She couldn't work and lost her job and without means for the payment, lost the car.  Her husband couldn't handle it and left.  She struggled to keep the house and care for her son but fighting this while fighting the illness overwhelmed her and she succumbed to depression.  She soon lost the house and the estranged husband used the opportunity to take the one joy she had in her miserable world - her son.  The quiet sister had become destitute and homeless.  During these years of loss, the outgoing sister stayed in contact, encouraging and doing what she could to help, but with each loss the quiet sister withdrew a little more.  When all was lost, the outgoing one begged her sister to come live with her.  She did.  The outgoing sister was oblivious to the pain that being in her home was causing the quiet sister.  The big house, the loving husband, 6 kids, nice car were all daily reminders of everything she had lost.  The day came when she couldn't take it any more and asked her sister to take her to a homeless shelter because it was where she felt she belonged.  With a broken heart, but finally understanding, she complied.  The quiet sister used the opportunity to fade away and disappear.  Nine years later she was found murdered and thrown away in a dumpster.

     I share this story because it profoundly changed the way I think of the homeless.  I thought they were all addicts, lazy, or were homeless through their own fault somehow.  This story showed me that each one has a name, a face, is someone's sister, father, son, grandchild.

     Jesus said in Matthew 25:37-40, "I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in, naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to me.  The righteous answered and said, 'Lord, when did we do these things?'  and the King answered, 'Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.'"

     There are over 205 references to helping the poor in the Bible.  Each time we help one who is down and out, we are doing it unto Jesus.  No wonder it's an issue He has addressed so many times in His Word.

     The name of the woman in my story was Didi, known as Diana in the homeless community.  Her sister later learned that while she was homeless, Didi worked in a food shelter sunup to sundown cooking for and serving other homeless souls.  She lived at the Gospel Rescue Mission, had given her life to Christ and led many others to Him.  This homeless woman had over 200 attendees at her funeral, many homeless themselves, each testifying to the impact she'd made on their lives.

     I will never view the homeless in the same way again.  I pray you don't either.  The least of these is my brother, my sister, my Jesus.

Humbled and changed, Raelynn