Invisible

I glanced at him speaking with a woman as I walked into the grocery store.  A wave of pain hit me as I looked at my watch and hurried in. Goodie week necessitated crackers, cream cheese and salsa, so I’d left a little early to pick them up on the way to work.  As I brought my items to the one open register there he was, this young man talking with the checker about a phone.  The white hospital wrist band peeked out from under his hoodie sweatshirt sleeve as he stood talking.  The checker asked the man to wait as she called the store manager, and then turned to greet me.   As I was swiping my debit card I had a prompting to get cash for this man and hand it to him.  I never carry cash – but when I get promptings I purpose to act immediately upon them.  As I finished up my transaction the store manager came and was talking with this man.  I felt torn – I thought that I was supposed to give this to him, but he was walking away with the manager.   I picked up my bags and halted, looking to see again, then walked out.  I thought, “Well, Papa, I thought you said to give this to the man, but maybe I didn’t hear you right”.

Just then, as I’m stepping off the curb to open my car, the man walks out of the store and right in front of my parked car.  “Ha-ha!”.  So, I pull out the cash and walk over to him.  I let him know that I didn’t know if it would be helpful, but that I had been prompted to give him some cash.   Up close, he looked very fragile and alarmingly bruised and battered.  The purple mottling on his right temple and dried bloody cut over the bridge of his nose along with the haunting look of pain in his eyes completely assaulted me.   He thanked me and began to tell me that he’d had seizures and was just discharged from the hospital. He had no ride, no phone and needed to try to call someone.  He said everyone looked at him as though he were a monster or some sort of serial killer and all of them sent him off - no help.  I only saw a lost pain filled person in front of me. I asked him his name.  “Tyler”, he said. “Tyler, would it be alright if I prayed for you?”  “Yes, actually, I really need that”, he said.  So, he sat on the bench in front of the store and I prayed for him for some time all the things Jesus poured out over Him.  At that point I looked at Tyler.  I was not yet, but soon would be late for work.  But, I felt God prompting me to care for this man – regardless of late.  I asked the Lord what else I was to do for him.  “Tyler,  I don't have a phone, but, do you have a place you are staying?” I asked.  “No, my girlfriend is out of town.  And, I can’t stay with my dad.  He gets really angry and violent”.  I mentioned the Salvation Army, right up the street. He noted that his friend’s mom lived right down the street and if I gave him a ride there he could find someone to stay with.  I sensed no danger, but I check in with Papa, “Is this how we go?”  <Green light.>  So, into the car I load my bags and unlock the passenger side for him.  He thanked me.  As we drove down the street, he admitted that he was actually having seizures because he was coming off of drugs. He admitted he’d had alcohol today, but was off drugs.  I told him I’m part of a 12 step program at my church for addictions – Celebrate Recovery, so, I’m familiar with that.  He notes he needs to be in a program.  I gave him the info for our program and encouraged him to go.  As we pull up to his friend’s house, he tells me he really appreciates that I treated and saw him like a human being and not a monster.  I pray for him again and tell him to get into a 12 step, it will really help him.  He thanks me and says, “God bless you”.  “Tyler”, I say, as he’s ready to open the door, “Jesus says He loves you and He wants you to know He is with you. He wants you to turn to Him and trust Him. Go to a place where they know Him.”  As I drove away, I completely lost it.  I’m crying my eyes out for this man no older than my youngest daughter – 23 or so.  I cried out, in my car, breaking off assignments and partnership with lies and addiction over this man.  I asked God’s close walk with him and provision for him to have the help he needs. 

It is sort of interesting what comes to me as I think about Tyler.  Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem - in their need (a mother in labor) with crowds for the census - it became acceptable for people to ignore their need.  They became invisible.  I always had the impression when I was young that people offered the manger to Mary and Joseph.  Don't they always make it seem that way in the nativity plays? But, it wasn’t that way at all.  Luke 2:4-7 says “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”  Mary and Joseph were in the city when Mary went into labor and gave birth – no rooms, no cover, no family.  And they just had to deal with it. Jesus’ first bed was a feed container.  It wasn’t quite the same, but similar – in Tyler’s need, people didn’t see him as a real person.  People looked at him and were so overwhelmed that they did not dare to engage his need.  It became acceptable for him to become invisible to them as a person, justified.

Wow, it’s so humbling.  I am on my face deeply grateful. God, in Himself - The Father, Jesus and The Holy Spirit– He saw our impossible need and we were not invisible to Him.  He is never overwhelmed by our needs.  He saw us as real people and He didn’t back away or vacantly tell us to move on.  He cares deeply.  He loves us.  And, He stepped up, himself, into our pain, sin, brokenness and death and took care of every need.  He did it before the foundations of the earth, at Calvary and…He still does.