Unconditional
Initially, I was reluctant to write about this event, but it was on my mind all day. When I was at church Sunday, I was pan-handled inside the building. I was walking around the back side of the building as I saw an elderly woman approaching me. She was wearing a black dress, red flip-flops, carrying a purse, and holding a silver little bag. She asked “can I talk to you for a second sir?” I stopped and she asked if I could help her out with a few dollars so she could get a sandwich. I’m a little embarrassed to say the first thought in my head was “I’m getting pan-handled in church.” I’m also a little proud to say that my second thought was “what better place to ask for help than in church?” I gave her some money and asked if she was going to the service. She said she wanted to get a sandwich first.
I walked away and watched her walk out of the building. I smiled a little thinking it really did not matter if she was or was not getting a sandwich. What mattered was that she felt she could approach me for help. Here is why that is so important. For all I know, it could have been the good Lord talking to me. I also thought about one of my favorite sayings: “be kind to everyone as you might be the only Jesus they ever see.”
So you might be asking how the word unconditional ties in to the thought for today. My number one resolution for 2010 is to strive to be unconditional in my life. That's means helping when I can, offering help so someone does not have to ask, loving the people in my life where they’re at, being accepting, and just doing the right thing. For a few minutes on a Sunday morning at Lakewood Church, I was able to “be unconditional.” I have two words for that encounter: Thank You.
Initially, I was reluctant to write about this event, but it was on my mind all day. When I was at church Sunday, I was pan-handled inside the building. I was walking around the back side of the building as I saw an elderly woman approaching me. She was wearing a black dress, red flip-flops, carrying a purse, and holding a silver little bag. She asked “can I talk to you for a second sir?” I stopped and she asked if I could help her out with a few dollars so she could get a sandwich. I’m a little embarrassed to say the first thought in my head was “I’m getting pan-handled in church.” I’m also a little proud to say that my second thought was “what better place to ask for help than in church?” I gave her some money and asked if she was going to the service. She said she wanted to get a sandwich first.
I walked away and watched her walk out of the building. I smiled a little thinking it really did not matter if she was or was not getting a sandwich. What mattered was that she felt she could approach me for help. Here is why that is so important. For all I know, it could have been the good Lord talking to me. I also thought about one of my favorite sayings: “be kind to everyone as you might be the only Jesus they ever see.”
So you might be asking how the word unconditional ties in to the thought for today. My number one resolution for 2010 is to strive to be unconditional in my life. That's means helping when I can, offering help so someone does not have to ask, loving the people in my life where they’re at, being accepting, and just doing the right thing. For a few minutes on a Sunday morning at Lakewood Church, I was able to “be unconditional.” I have two words for that encounter: Thank You.
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