Probably should pick something sort of profound and meaningful!!!
I hadn’t really come to anything till I was at church last Sunday.
Sunday was my last Sunday at Ft. Pierce First United Methodist Church for six months. I’ll be the interim pastor at Juno Beach starting tomorrow - unless I get voted off the island. If that happens, I will head back to Fort Pierce. I told my friends on Sunday "if you see me back before six months is over with my head hanging down and my tail between my legs. Then you know I got voted off the island."
Anyway, in church on Sunday, there were more homeless people than normal because the church had advertised a dinner after service. When it’s time for the greeting, the passing of the peace, I got up and started to wander around. There was a homeless guy sitting on the back row, and I looked at him and I started towards him. He looked right at me and he shook his head. His head shake said, "No." He held up his hand like waving me off, and I knew that he didn’t want me to approach him so I didn’t.
I got to wondering later what that meant. Did it mean that he didn’t feel well? Was he sick? Was he embarrassed of how he was dressed or how he smelled? Maybe he was tired of people that seemed to have it together coming and stooping down to care for him. If that was the case, I kind of hate to be put into that category. I honestly just try to be friendly and gracious and caring. But obviously he had some things on his mind and he didn’t need the handshake of an almost 68-year-old.
And so now, back to my birthday. Looking back over the years, I guess I can tell you that I’m really happy that finally I think I’ve learned to see people and care about them. I think that for the most part, I have learned to look past how they’re dressed or what color they are and to just really see an individual as a valuable human. To have compassion for them. That makes me feel very happy and fulfilled.
Happy Birthday, Jeff
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
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