I don’t know why she is homeless. I’m not even sure she’s homeless but everyday as I work through the shopping centre I see her there.
Her hair is overgrown and unkempt – wrapped around her head, long filth dread locks braided and knotted in a heavy-looking bun.
It’s the height of summer and she’s still wearing the same black over coat she wore the first time I saw her in the dead of winter.
Her toes are left exposed poking out of rubber slippers. Her nails were a remarkable sight, long and dark curling under her toes looking more like talons.
I wonder if the over grown nails were reasons for her hobbled walk – no, it must be the rafia bag she clutches for dear life as she walks to the mall bench.
At first glance you think nothing of her – just another morning commuter walking through the mall, but on closer inspection you notice the unmistakable disheveled look of someone who’s been sleeping rough.
She – she looks like an Agatha – seats on the bench the same way you would plonk yourself on your living room sofa after a long day. As she settles in and closes her eyes – I get the impression that’s the most comfort she’s felt all night.
As I watch her – I see someone approach – I hear coins jingle as they exchange hands. Agatha smiles. The person says something I hear mention of the name Jesus. And the momentary expression of gratitude disappears as Agatha’s face crumples into a frown. She pockets the change, mumbles thanks and settles back into the bench.
I can’t help but wonder at how, the queen in her hands brings her much joy than mention of The King.
**imagine you were Agatha, homeless, (not necessarily a drug/substance abuser) how would you feel if the same person gave you money everyday for a week telling you it’s from God?
This is powerful. That sounds like a true example of how to show the love of Christ. Giving and saying it’s from Jesus… Wow. I’m so touched by this!
You asked ‘I can’t help but wonder at how, the queen in her hands brings her much joy than mention of The King’
Simply because, in my opinion, she might feel that the ‘queen in her hands’ has more practical value than the promise of the ‘King’.
Homeless people are often a result of several catrastophes in life – loss of a home; loss of a loved one or mental illness.
You’ll be surprised that the lady even feels the ‘King’ has deserted her.
To be honest, I dont really see the sense in giving a beggar money while at the same time preaching to the person. Giving and saying its from Jesus is likely to work on only a rational, receptive person.
Evangelism has a time and place. It would be more effective to give the lady money or food daily…………….then befriend her, before sitting down one day to tell her about a ‘King’ that has made you the giving/ compassionate person you are.
That’s my opinion sha. .
lovely piece. I honestly don’t know how i’ll feel if I was the one. I may wonder why God won’t give me a home or a job or something instead of sending money every week.lol.
Anyway, she’s probably had some experience that’s making her skeptical about God or any semblance of Him. I recently learnt that most people that haven’t embraced God are that way because they feel unworthy and rejected by Him (based on their perceptions). It’s the natural way of defense for we humans when we feel rejected or snubbed by someone to do the same to the person.
It will take a lot of love and God’s grace to make those people aware that God loves them regardless of their filth/sin. I believe that’s what the stranger is aiming at: gaining trust and showing love in order to win her to Christ…
@ Faith;
it reminds me of something I learnt recently – what i have is not really mine, acknowledging it’s come from Christ makes it easier to give.
i think it’s easy to think people who evangelise are premeditated in the actions and approach, they probably are, they probably should be. But what if this person who gave, just did it as an act of obedeince. Who knows what work God has started on Agatha’s heart, and who knows where he’s going with it. I guess sometimes God just uses people who are available there and then… funny thing is though – the person who gave may never know the outcome of Agatha.
@NIL; i think i see what you mean about being practical in giving. I do beleive though that giving to someone extremely poor and at the mercy of others, can be a really encouraging way to evangelise. In fact if whatever situation or circumstances led her to feel abandoned by Christ, perhaps through the gifts she recieved she’d be proved wrong. I guess it’s sth else if the person was just paying platitudes and simply name dropping. But what if the Christian who gave, really did feel they had to let the know christ was thinking of them. I guess there are things we won’t know. But we can agree that evangelism needs to be more than words – it needs be practical in meeting needs.
@Stelzz; You’re right, i’d proably think the same as you – Lord i just don’t want daily bread, i want the entire bakery!!!
I’m not sure how I’d feel but I’d probably question God’s love for me if I was sleeping rough. If he loved me so much, why was I hungry, on the streets and dependent on hand outs from strangers, many of whom don’t bother to look at me as they drop their coppers in my plastic cup?
Ultimately, it’s not our actions that change people, it’s God himself. No man can confess He is Lord but by His spirit. Our part is to make ourselves available and live out the gospel because we never know when God will use our words or actions to capture a heart.
Thats a beautiful story, If I was Agatha I would want to know who this Christ is that he/she would remember me when everyone else has forgotten me.
@Wailacaan; I pray none of us ever get to know how it feels to be destitute. You’re right, only God can really allow a change to happen, but it’s not magic, Agatha needs will need to do sth for her thinking to be renewed and transformed for change to happen. If she keeps blaming God, she’ll never be open to whatever help he has to offer to move her from a beggar to a giver. That said, i’ve never once seen her beg, just witnessed someone give to her.
@SirFariku; Word! I’d probably think that for a split second and then start wondering when next i’m going to eat.
Great and insightful post. Most of the apostle’s letters in the bible urge on practical christianity, meeting the needs of the people as you share the testimony of Jesus.
Fantastic post MsLuffa. Was really blessed by it. I like how you contrasted her response to the queen in hand and the mention of the King. Like most people have already commented, there are several reasons why she may have reacted that way. Our job is to position ourselves by living out the gospel practically in a way that we can become the hands and feet of the King. We can also pray daily for Agatha’s salvation and be open to the Spirit’s leading on how best to introduce her to Christ rather than just the casual and usually empty ‘Jesus loves you’. There’s nothing wrong with saying that but if it is not prompted by the Spirit then it will fall on deaf ears or even worse, harden an already hardened heart.
Lesson for many, action speaks much louder than words. The gospel we preach is not in the words we speak but in the lives we live.
We forget that Jesus got his first four disciples right after he got them the biggest catch of their lives.
Na so Men of God go dey preach plenty things when people for crowd never chop. Now talk of tithes and offerings when people don’t have enough to eat at home and call it sacrifice. Forgetting that basing one’s faith on another man’s experience only takes you so far..
AM I talking too much? *runs away and hides*
@Myne; i don’t think i read the Bible well enough to really get what it’s saying. I think i hear Pastors clearer than I hear God. I need to check that and look at the examples God has sanctioned like the apostles. Thanks for that.
@Setwawtchman: So true, i have so much to learn from this story – don’t just preach it, live it. That said I’m learning that these are not mutually exclusive things, you can’t just do it and not preach it, no one is hanging in corner of your life, in as much as people are watching, if you’ve got the actions on lock, you’ve got speak about it and not just hope people will change because of how you behave. If Jesus only made disciples by his action, how would the 12 disciples have responded to his call? thanks
@SingleNigerianMan; Oga you are not talking too much at all!!! it’s true, God met those men their point of need, but after those men caught those fish, they took a massive leap of faith to follow him. they left wives and in-laws behind to follow this man they’d never met before – who was feeding their families when they were gone. Your comment just highlighted the other side of things for me – even after we act and we preach – it’s still up to people to leap in faith.