It’s November 18, 8:31P.M., and I just ate dinner. About 3 hours ago, I was walking in front of the wet market at Moonwalk, and I walked passed this dirty beggar. He was sitting on the ground with his head bowed down while holding a plastic cup containing three or four coins. As I was walking farther away from him, I tapped my left pocket to see if I had any coins that I could give to the guy.
We take them for granted. They were Jesus' main audience
I eventually took the coins out of my pocket. I walked back to the beggar, placed 2 pesos and 60 cents in his cup, and started walking again. I was pretty tired and was on a bit of a hurry to go home, but again I stopped and I looked back. I couldn’t stand the fact that I have a freshly-cooked dinner waiting for me at home while this person struggles to stay alive on a daily basis.
I opened my bag and looked for anything. I saw a Bread Pan and a half-full, 1 Liter bottle of Iced Tea. Once more, I walked back to the beggar and handed him the snack and drink. Without raising his head, he slowly took the food and placed it beside him. Before I left, I noticed that his right foot was severely swollen and bleeding- it was twice the size of his left foot. I turned around and went home. From that moment up until now, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I just encountered.
Sometimes, when I look at rich and famous celebrities on TV and movies, I think to myself, “Ha, God created all men equally, which means, I am just as important as that guy.” When I think that thought, I feel important and my self-esteem boosts up for the day. I know some people who also say that as a half-joke.
What bothers me is that I only think that when I see people who are socially superior to me. Not once have I passed a beggar and thought, “Ha, God created all men equally, which means, I am just as important as that guy.” The moment I realized that, I began to think about how God can create us equally, and at the same time allow us to live completely different lives?
I again thought of the beggar and saw how “unfair” his life is. We live in a world where man’s status is directly dependent upon the contents of his bank account. Just because a man has an empty wallet does not mean he deserves to have an empty life.
We all know that life here is temporary. But what if that beggar does not know of Jesus Christ and dies without ever getting to know Him? Does that mean that this man was destined to live a cruel life and an even crueler afterlife? Yes, I know my thinking sounds unkind, but I’m trying to face reality.
Give him eternity than temporary fulfillment that will end up in craving
As I was walking back towards the beggar, I saw countless people passing by him. They take a quick glance at him, share their split-second of sympathy, and keep walking. If people rarely stop for two seconds and spare some change for a beggar, how much more rare will you see a person stop for five minutes, sit down with the beggar, and share the saving grace of Jesus to him? I, too, am guilty of this because it was only now did I realize that I was more concerned with his starvation than his Salvation.
A person of a high status can turn on his/her TV and coincidentally watch a Gospel channel and hear about the Word of God. They have a bigger chance on getting invited to a church. They know lots of people that could know people that could lead them to Christ. Yet, a beggar, who is an equally important human being, is left out because he lives in the street and is often ignored by society. How can a beggar hear of Jesus if no one even dares to touch him?
All men are created equal. And equally do they deserve to hear the Gospel. Be it a beggar or a billionaire- mankind needs Jesus Christ. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to see that man again. But If I do, I hope God will give me the wisdom and strength to be able to share what I should have shared with him 3 hours ago. If a day comes where you get to experience a situation like mine, remember this: You might lose five minutes, but you helped someone else gain eternity.
