The Least of These

One of my favorite things about living in Hapeville is our community of neighbors. In fact, our small group/bible study is made up of four couples living within feet of each other. Matt loves the fact that he can walk to small group barefoot. Kind of grosses me out, actually.

Another great thing about Hapeville is that we're surrounded by opportunities to serve people in need. As much as I think I'd prefer to live in a gated, sheltered community of people just like me, I know that I would very soon become the sort of person I don't want to be around (no offense to gated communities). I would become self-serving, greedy...and comfortable. I know this about myself because I've been down that road before.

Our small group has been doing a lot of talking lately about how we can serve the people in our neighborhood and town - the elderly woman who needs someone to mow her grass, the family across the street that needs a warm meal, the couple a few doors down struggling with addiction. We've been talking about how best to reach out to them for months now. And we haven't done a thing.

On Sunday, the opportunity to be a blessing to others dropped down right in front of us (coincidence?). Three of the four couples in our group happened to be standing in our front yard enjoying a beautiful Sunday afternoon when a woman and her two children walked up to us. She had the most heartbreaking story of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and homelessness. We rallied around her and gave her money for a hotel and food to get by for a couple of days.

Yesterday, my doorbell rang. I saw them out the window - it was the woman and her two children. I hate to admit that when I saw them, my first instinct was to pretend I wasn't home. Hadn't we done enough already? Holly was sleeping, and to open the front door (much less invite them in) would surely wake her. But then the words of Jesus in Matthew 25 came to me: "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." Ouch. So I opened the door.

As I talked with her, I was unconvinced that she used the money we had given her wisely. But I was absolutely convinced that here stood a family in a desperate situation. I'm still not sure how God wants to use us to help, but I don't think our story with them is over. We might have to get creative as we think about ways to help meet needs (I'm perfectly aware that to give money can encourage addictions and feed bad habits). But I have a sense that God is trying to do something big here - and not necessarily in the lives of Melissa and her kids. I'll keep you posted...

** Thanks to Candace, whose "He is Radiant and Ruddy" blog post challenged me to view this "random" opportunity differently than I might have otherwise.