The Girl At The Park

It is cold. It is wet. And it is raining outside today.

And I sit inside in my warm house, eating my dinner that was delivered to the front door, watching my kids play with more toys than they need, watching them run back and forth between their "play room" and their "preschool room", because all kids need to have an entire room for learning and art and another for "just" their toys.

 

But today, there is a girl who may or may not have shelter. If she was lucky she ate a warm meal or maybe there were enough kind people to give her money. And perhaps she used their spare change to buy herself some food. I wonder as it poured down rain last night if she had found a couch to crash on, or if she was still at the park. Still rummaging through her bag. Still standing there looking lost but yet with nowhere to go.  Telling people she was 27, when she couldn't have been a day over 20. Sticking out like a sore thumb in a park where her kind are never spotted.

 

I drove by the park today. I don't know why. I just wanted to know if she was still there, even though I knew all traces of her would be gone. Just a wet playground and a few city workers was all I could see. Why? Why do I care? I've encountered homeless people. I've dug around my purse to give spare change. Why was she any different?

 

I think she was different and if I would have asked more questions, perhaps I could have found out why. She wasn't there looking for a handout. When she asked for change she was hesitant and apologetic. When I offered to bring her food, she was surprised and thankful. She asked me to pray for her. She had a desperate look in her eye and she asked me to pray for her. I told her I would and she said God Bless you at least twice. She looked afraid but yet wise beyond her years. And maybe, just maybe she was under some kind of influence. Or it could have been that her body was yearning to take something to numb whatever feelings she was starting to feel. " I stay at friends' houses. I sleep on couches. I stay with strangers. But it's hard. You never know from one day to the next."

 

She seemed different but yet I believe she is the same, as the rest of her kind. There are so many others just like her. I know nothing of this girl's story. I can not even know if the parts that she told me are true. But what I do know is, whatever her situation, whatever the story is that got her there, the end result is still the same. She is broken, she is empty, and she is desperately sad.  

 

It doesn't matter if she is a drug addict.

It doesn't matter if she is an alcoholic.

It doesn't matter if she sells her body for money or drugs.

It doesn't matter if she is any of these things or worse.

 

So many times people want to judge people. It is part of our ugly human nature to want to size people up,put them into categories, make ourselves feel better. Allow our inside voices to tell us we could never be like them. We want to determine if they are worthy of our spare change, our help, our time. Often people evaluate people like this and their stories. I've heard of people not giving their change or a handout to someone because they know they were scamming them or they were going to use the money for drugs or alcohol. But what if God gave out his grace in this same way? What if he took the time to evaluate if we were in "real" need or if we "deserved" it? I don't know about you but I don't think I'd be on the "worthy" list.

 

So I don't care if she was any of those things or worse. And I won't care if the next person is any of those things either. Whatever situation brings you to be so broken, empty, and hopeless that you are at a childrens' park asking for money with only a duffel bag means that you need grace. And yes her kind need God's grace but they also need.....our grace, our acceptance, our love, our non-judgement.

 

Isn't that what we all want? And isn't that exactly what he calls us to do?

Matthew³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

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