Fear……and the first time I saw Jesus.

I have this friend that I don’t even remember his name.  It’s a shame I don’t remember because he was the first person to show me what Christ is like…………..

You see, this friend lives on the street and I first met him when my friend Will and I used to bring the leftover food from a meal site to a parking lot across from the salvation army where a large homeless population slept.  These might have been the most invigorating times of my life, but this man sticks out every time I think about those days. 

First off, the streets are a scary place.  I always have a bit of fear in me when I walk around the so called “dangerous” parts of inner cities, but because of my unfair securities I will never know the fear of sleeping on the streets. 

Our friend, that I mentioned earlier, could not sleep at night on the streets.  The fear was too great. 

Well, one night as we all sat around sharing a meal with one another I saw him walking and offered him to join us.  Will or I (I can’t remember) offered him a seat in one of our chairs that we brought. 

Within minutes he was asleep.  I was floored because I had always seen him walking at night not being able to sleep on the streets, but he must have felt safe there with us.  His fear was gone.  God gave this man rest that night, probably the best rest he had in a long time.  As I watched this man breathe peacefully I saw Jesus.  For me, that night, the Bible became flesh and bone.  Jesus was alive for me. 

This man showed me that the Gospel is alive, real and ever present.  God took away this man’s fear and gave him rest.

As I remember that night I think about how our friend taught me what it means to rely on God and how many times I don’t………….like my life is so hard………..

Our friend taught me more about what it means to be faithful than I could have ever taught him……….

Thank you, my friend