Homeless Man Steve

Is the title of  today's inspirational message.

This evening as I was leaving Best Buy, I
noticed this man going through the garbage can
outside of the store. As I walked to my car I
watched him as he reached in the garbage can
and pulled out fast food trash bags and
inspected all that was in the thrown away bags.
He did this for several minutes. He would find a
few fries in one bag and a bite or two of a
hamburger in another bag. You can see the
hamburger wrapper by his knee where he was
placing the food items he’d found.
He never bothered anyone or tried to stop and
beg for money as people entered and left the
store. After he went through the entire trash can
he neatly cleaned up the area and wrapped up
the food he found in the dirty hamburger
wrapper. My heart literally hurt for him. I am
not someone who just hands out money or
even helps homeless people because so many
are not truly homeless. I don’t guess I’ve ever
seen someone actually go through a garbage
can to try to find food to eat.
I knew I had to help him. I got out of my car
and asked him if I could buy him something to
eat. He told me he would appreciate anything I
could get him. He was on a bike and I told him
if he’d follow me I’d buy him a meal at the fast
food place around the block. He followed me
and I bought him the biggest meal they had on
the menu. The only request he gave me for his
order was if I could get him a big glass of sweet
tea to go with his meal!
When I brought him his food, he was so
thankful. He told me his name was Steve and
he’d been homeless ever since his sister died
last September. He was trying to get off the
streets, but it was so hard. I told him God loved
him and I would pray for him. He told me again
how much he appreciated the meal.
When I got back in my car, I drove off with such
a heaviness in my heart for this man. I drove
down the road and felt compelled to go back to
help this man. When I came back he had
finished his meal and was riding away. I pulled
up beside him and asked him if there was any
way I could help him. He told me not really. He
never asked me for money. I asked him if I
could buy him a few meals and put it on a gift
card for him. He told me that would be so kind.
I drove to McDonalds and bought him some
meals and gave him a gift card.
He broke down crying. He told me that he
prayed for me today! I wasn’t sure what he
meant (I was assuming he was praying for me
for what I did for him) so I thanked him. He
said, “No, you don’t understand. I prayed that
God would send someone to buy me a hot meal
today… and he sent you!” I didn’t know what to
say… I was speechless! Praying for a hot meal
wasn’t a prayer I had prayed today! Come to
think of it, that’s not a prayer I’ve ever prayed! I
always pray over my food, but I’ve never prayed
for a meal… its expected! I’ve never doubted
that I wouldn’t be able to eat… Tears began to
fill my eyes! Oh my… how blessed am I… Maybe
God used me to answer this man’s prayer… to
let him know that He cares for Him and knows
what goes going through! But, maybe God used
this man to show me just how blessed I am and
what I take for granted…
He said, “You see, I have cancer!” He pulled up
his shirt and pointed to a huge mass that was
poking out from his stomach. He said said he
knew it wouldn’t be much longer. I asked him if
knew Jesus. He told me that he did. I asked if I
could pray for him and he said that I could. We
prayed right there on the sidewalk of
McDonalds. Tears just poured from his eyes. He
told me he knew that he was going to die and
that he was ready to die. He was tired of being
in pain and he would be better off dead because
this was no life – living this way. I stayed and
encouraged him for a few minutes trying to fight
back my tears. My prayer is that I showed him
the love of Jesus today… that something I said
gave him a hope.
You see, everybody has a story! I know Steve’s
story now… all because I felt compelled to help
him… he ended up touching me today!
When I left him, I knew I had done what God
wanted me to do! God put him in my path
today… I know he did! I’ve never felt such a
feeling to help someone as I did today. I was
reminded again of how blessed I am! I have a
vehicle that gets me from place to place, I have
a roof over my head, clean clothes, money to
buy a hot meal, running water, electricity, my
health, a job, family, and friends! Sometimes
God sends situations our way to remind us of
how blessed we are! If you’ve read this far,
please remember Steve in your prayers!
Yes, I have been blessed, God’s so good to me!
Precious are His thoughts of you and me!
There’s no way I could count them, there’s not
enough time, so I’ll just thank Him for being so
kind. God has been good, so good! I have been
blessed!