This morning as we were driving I was looking out the window and I looked over at the riverbed. A homeless man stood staring at the water. We turned onto another street and a man they call "shorts" was digging through the trash. We were almost to our destination and I saw another man coming out of the riverbed with his grocery cart. On my way home just about 6 blocks away to other homeless men were walking together. I thought at least they have each other.
I could not get their faces out of my head, I tried to lay down after I lyed the boys down for there nap, and these faces just kept popping up. My chest and heart started hurting. I got a large lump in my throat. I began to pray. "Oh Abba Father, have mercy on these people. Help them. Help them find hope in Christ.." I just prayed and prayed and wept and wept. I was sobbing for these people.
I have never experienced this before....I have never sobbed for homeless people. God loves these people as much as He loves me. They are no different than me. God's love is beyond my brain capacity, God's love is bigger than we can imagine. I have been passing these people and judging them in my heart. Am I God? ummm no! God is the judge, God calls me to love my neighbor. Jesus loved everyone! The dirty filthy people that I have been passing by every day without a second thought.
My prayer is that God continues to open my eyes....open my eyes beyond my potato sized brain. My prayer is to become more like Jesus and less like Natalie. My prayer is to stop caring about what other think about homeless people and what God thinks about homeless people. My prayer is to just stop caring about my kingdom and care about God's kingdom.
Jesus thank you for living on this earth perfectly...thank you for your sacrifice on the cross for me..me, I just don't understand that. But I am so thankful. Only you Jesus can love perfectly!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Hi Mr.
*Yesterday evening after dinner I said to my husband, "I love the shampoo they used when I got my haircut today." Okay so I never ever get the good stuff and it never even crossed my mind till today. I prayed and said..God you know I don't need this, this is ridiculous...but I proceeded to call the haircut place and ask how much it was. I was surprised it was not expensive at all!
*So we head out the door (my husband so sick with a cold) get the kids in the car and we are off. The whole time I am praying...God is this really ok? Really?...So I go in to the salon and grab the shampoo and conditioner look on the bottle and it was $35.00 EACH!! EACH!!! That is not what she said on the phone, I thought.
So she comes to the desk and says, "oh you wanted the big one." I replied, "yeah but I can't, are they really $35.00 each?" She looked at me and said no, they are not. She walked over and proceeded to tell me that this other one is on sale (not even the same product) lol. So she said, "how about two for the price of one?" WHAT?? Are you kidding me God? Now to me that's still a lot but I knew God was blessing me. This is ridiculous!! Are you kidding me its just shampoo!
*I get in the car and tell everyone about how I was just blessed. We proceed to the grocery store. I only went in with my 1 year old, I just needed some milk. As I was wiping my cart with a wipe a man walks out ad grabs a wipe too. He said to me, "do you know where they sell medical gauze?" as he looked down at his bandaged hand. He was homeless. I told him that I think next door at CVS they do, and I said I am sorry.
*As soon as I got in the store I thought. Natalie what did you just do? Why didn't you help him? So I hurried through the store praying...God please let him be outside...please let us help him...I run to the van unload (while telling my husband the story) and look over at CVS and he is checking out. We hurried to get there before he could pay. Royal walked in and he was standing there with the items he just bought opening them in the store. Royal decided to pull money out to give him for his wound. As I waited in the van I prayed...God there is more, what can I do, what do you want me to do?...I started writing on my receipt from the store, the gospel.
Hi Mr.,
God loves you and sent his son Jesus to die so that we may live. Jesus died for your sins. He loves you!
*As Royal was talking to him after he gave him the money. I ran in crying and handed him the note. and went back in the van. royal came back in the car and said he had been shot in the hand. he had a bullet hole infecting his hand. he told me the man read the note out loud and I watched him put it in his wallet. he said "tell her thank you and I will read this often to help me stay on the straight and narrow."
*What! Oh my Almighty Father, you are so so amazing. I am in awe of your Glory and Greatness!
*This is God's story and not mine. This is for His glory and His alone!
*So we head out the door (my husband so sick with a cold) get the kids in the car and we are off. The whole time I am praying...God is this really ok? Really?...So I go in to the salon and grab the shampoo and conditioner look on the bottle and it was $35.00 EACH!! EACH!!! That is not what she said on the phone, I thought.
So she comes to the desk and says, "oh you wanted the big one." I replied, "yeah but I can't, are they really $35.00 each?" She looked at me and said no, they are not. She walked over and proceeded to tell me that this other one is on sale (not even the same product) lol. So she said, "how about two for the price of one?" WHAT?? Are you kidding me God? Now to me that's still a lot but I knew God was blessing me. This is ridiculous!! Are you kidding me its just shampoo!
*I get in the car and tell everyone about how I was just blessed. We proceed to the grocery store. I only went in with my 1 year old, I just needed some milk. As I was wiping my cart with a wipe a man walks out ad grabs a wipe too. He said to me, "do you know where they sell medical gauze?" as he looked down at his bandaged hand. He was homeless. I told him that I think next door at CVS they do, and I said I am sorry.
*As soon as I got in the store I thought. Natalie what did you just do? Why didn't you help him? So I hurried through the store praying...God please let him be outside...please let us help him...I run to the van unload (while telling my husband the story) and look over at CVS and he is checking out. We hurried to get there before he could pay. Royal walked in and he was standing there with the items he just bought opening them in the store. Royal decided to pull money out to give him for his wound. As I waited in the van I prayed...God there is more, what can I do, what do you want me to do?...I started writing on my receipt from the store, the gospel.
Hi Mr.,
God loves you and sent his son Jesus to die so that we may live. Jesus died for your sins. He loves you!
*As Royal was talking to him after he gave him the money. I ran in crying and handed him the note. and went back in the van. royal came back in the car and said he had been shot in the hand. he had a bullet hole infecting his hand. he told me the man read the note out loud and I watched him put it in his wallet. he said "tell her thank you and I will read this often to help me stay on the straight and narrow."
*What! Oh my Almighty Father, you are so so amazing. I am in awe of your Glory and Greatness!
*This is God's story and not mine. This is for His glory and His alone!
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