Opened My Eyes

Today Baby G and I were running around town like crazy trying to get all our errands done.  Mr. G's birthday is in two days and I was needing to get a lot done especially since today I had the car.  It's tough to get errands done on the days that I don't have the car.....scratch that....it's pretty much impossible.  So today was the day that Baby G and I had to focus on getting all our errands complete and unfortunately it was about 45 degrees and rainy.  The first cold day we've had in months and not at all a fun day to be caring a baby from place to place.  But we made do and were finally back in the car headed for home when I stopped to let a man cross in front of me.  This man had on a hoody with the hood pulled up over his head to keep the rain out and jeans that had obviously been worn a few too many times.  He looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days, his clothes were dirty, and he held a plastic sack up over his shoulder.  When I waved him to go ahead and cross in front of me he smiled and waved back at me.....twice.  He had such a sad look in his eyes.  As he walked on passed me I noticed he had a limp and then saw that the plastic sack that he was holding over his shoulder held a six-pack of beer.  Usually when I see someone like that my first thought is, "What a screw up."  Not real Christian of me...I know.  But for some reason today was different.  I felt like I was seeing this man for a brief second through God's eyes.  It could be because when I looked in my rear view mirror I saw this face looking back at me....

And I thought to myself that the man who just walked across the street, possibly homeless, possibly an alcoholic, possibly without a job, friends, or a family that he can lean on....that man was once just as innocent and peaceful as the lil boy looking up at me from my back seat.  And my heart broke for that man.  I am positive that God's heart is breaking for him too.  I know that God loves that man even more than I love my own son and I can't imagine watching my son walk the streets like this man was.  I wondered about the man's life....his childhood...his upbringing in the church.  I wondered what he was like in school.  Was he a popular kid, a nerd, the class clown, the athlete, the stinky kid?  Did anybody ever stop to tell this man about Jesus....about a God who loves him and wants to make him well?  Has this man been abused, mistreated, ridiculed by others?  Has he been a part of a loving church family or did he try church once but could tell by the looks on everyone's face that he didn't belong?
And then I started thinking about this man's future.  Where was he going to get his next meal?  Was he going to spend all his money on alcohol?  Did he have a family that was depending on him?  Will he ever find peace?  Will he ever be happy?  Will he ever get freed from his alcoholism?  Will he ever come to know Christ?
I wanted so bad to jump out of my car and stop this man whom I've never met and tell him to throw that beer in the trash and come with me.  I wanted to give him warm clothes, a hot meal, and Bible.  I wanted to help him, but it didn't matter what I wanted to do, because in this day-in-age a young girl with a baby in her backseat could NEVER help a stranger because you just never know what could happen.  So since I couldn't physically help him I started praying for him.

Then I looked back at my son again.

This world is a scary place full of so much sin and it terrifies me to think of the future of our son.... Is there a possibility that someday it could by our little boy walking the streets?  You always think it can't happen to your children, but I'm sure this man's mother thought the same thing.  All of a sudden the responsibility of raising a child seemed so hard.  Just the other day Mr. G and I were sitting in the parking lot at a local high school when school let out and we both were shocked at what the children were wearing, saying, and doing.  Mr. G's comment was that he felt like we were on hell's back door....and this was at a school.
The Lord has trusted this precious life in our hands and it is true that it is a huge responsibility, but with that huge responsibility he has also put in our heart an agape love for our son.  With that love along with the guidelines God has given us in His Word we should have all the tools we need to lead Baby G down the path of righteousness.  It won't always be easy and we know full well that we will make mistakes, but we will try our hardest to make sure our son will never be walking aimlessly down the road with a sack of beer hanging over his shoulder with no particular place to go.  I pray for the man that I saw today....that he will come to know the Lord and find peace, but I also pray for our son....that he will never know that kind of life.  I know that Baby G's life won't always be peaches'n cream, but through it all I pray that he will cling to the Lord and when his life is over he will find himself resting in the arms of the God.