Day of The Double-Take

Day of The Double-Take
By: Krinda Joy Carlson
Intern, Ceitci Demirkova Ministries

What if, in the middle of your daily rush to get everything done, someone suddenly stepped into your path begging for help? What if they looked you right in the eye and said,
“I’m Desperate.”
“Anything will help right now.”
“I need food. I’m disabled – can’t work – and I’m caring for my grandkids.”
What if this happened? What would you do?
It happens to me on a weekly basis.
When I’m carrying out my daily life, someone suddenly steps before me desperate, begging, in need. What do I do? Sick as it seems, my instant response is to look away. I justify it, They brought this upon themselves. They probably just don’t want to work. I don’t have time…

Is the scenario beginning to sound familiar yet? We’ve all encountered someone in need and looked away. Usually, we turn our eyes from the man on the street holding up the “Desperate” sign, or the woman with “Anything Helps” scratched on a piece of cardboard. Instinctively, we know that if we look twice, really consider the need, we won’t be able to ignore it because the heart of Jesus inside of us begins to pound. The day I looked twice, it was all over…

I was driving along a busy street heading for the freeway on-ramp. It was a sunny day after church and I was singing away to blasting worship when I looked over at the sidewalk, and there she was. She was thin, with grey coarse hair and had a sign that read, “Need food. Disabled, can’t work, caring for grandkids.” I looked away. Here I was, just coming from church and listening to worship, and I looked away. But, the thought of my own grandma having to take on responsibility for some of my younger cousins caused me to look a second time. The sight of those wrinkled hands holding the plea out to me and her hunched-back, no longer able to straighten against the lifetimes of burdens she’d endured, switch something inside of me. I recklessly swung my wheel and screeched into a nearby parking lot. That second look combated the thought that said, She’s probably lying, and replaced it with, So what if she IS lying! What if she’s not?! It can’t hurt to give food! Turns out, I had a box of nutrition bars in my trunk, so I pulled them out and rushed to her as fast as my heels would let me to give the offering. She was so thankful, gushing, “Oh thank you! Those will help so much. My grandchildren will love them – something healthy too!” I left with a feeling of euphoria, which carried all the way into the next day.

Since this initial day of doing a double-take, looking away has become harder and harder. I wrote about looking, really looking, into the faces of our children in my last blog because when you gaze into the eyes of those in need, you cannot look away and ignore the urge to act. The Bible says the eyes are the window of the soul, and so when we look into the eyes of another we get a glimpse into their soul. It’s as if the cry from inside them climbs from their soul-window, crawls the distance between you both, and enters you through your own soul-window. And when it truly gets inside of you, the cry, or need, sits there in the little room of your heart, asking that you DO something – and doesn’t leave until you do. The beauty of this type of soul exchange is that when we meet that need, we get to experience the same joy the receiver feels. For, not only do we answer the other’s cry, but we’re answering the cry our own heart begins to scream – the cry of Jesus inside of us that asks, “If anyone…sees [another] in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? (1 John 3:17).”

You see, the love of God inside of us longs to minister and meet the needs of others. Opportunities are all around us, not just in the form of the homeless or orphans. Each of our souls clutches a sign voicing a specific need. There are people you encounter in line at the grocery store, at your workplace, or friends you hang out with that are holding signs pleading, “Confused and lost, help me find my way,” or “Starved! Hungry for love – never satisfied.” Today, don’t glance away any longer from the souls crying out all around you! Look twice; let their needs get inside of you; and release the love of God, materially and spiritually, to the hurting, hungry, lost souls.
Then, experience the euphoria of being the heart, hands, and feet of Jesus!