You want me to do what, God?!

I know that I haven't written in a few days... ok, maybe more then a few ;) but I've been busy... not much has to be updated when I'm just sitting around for the first week of October to come around (that's when I'm meeting with the ICY guys in Bloomington). However, today, while I was on facebook, I read something that I new I couldn't keep to myself. This is a note (kind of like a blog post, for those of you that don't know facebook) that my best friend Alicia wrote yesterday. She is an amazing writer, and while yes, that does make the story interesting, that's not the reason I loved it. Mark 16 says to "Go into all the world." And if you're like me, and have a passion for the mission that God has placed before you... you will appreciate this. However, if your kind of "Go" means your home, community, school, work, etc.... then you will also appreciate this, because you still know how it feels to be called to witness, even if it isn't on the other side of the world. God can use us anywhere, at anytime, in any circumstance. All we have to do is be ready for the call. Alicia, for instance, found called to the homeless... the people we usually ignore and walk by... in the middle of the busy streets of Chicago.

I Have Nothing
~By Alicia Moreland~

“Excuse me, we want something to eat now.” She decided that waiting more than a minute for a Subway sandwich was uncalled for. The lady said it in such a demeaning tone towards the ones serving her that I shuddered. Is our American society so set on materialism and instant gratification that we choose to forget to treat those serving us as equal human beings?

I guess it would be appropriate to rewind and give the context for sharing this story. I was walking down the streets of one of the most populated cities in the world, Mexico City. An older woman came up to me and begged me to buy one of her rice cakes because she had no money to feed her family. I first tried to ignore the present situation. She persisted. I tried saying No, thank you. I said I didn’t have a lot of money (lie). She kept trying until eventually I told her I did not really speak Spanish (also a lie). I still to this day regret the way that I treated her.

Fast forward to approximately a year and a half later which would lead you to…well it ultimately would lead you tonight. Slightly apprehensive, I wondered if I was making the right choice, but I trusted God had his purpose for what was about to be done and would give us safety. It was a Friday night and I was able to go to downtown Chicago with two amazing women of God with the only goal of serving and forming friendships with the homeless. My prayer is that this will be as eye opening for you as the experience was for me. And here begins my story…

We reached Union Station and after prayer, proceeded to make our way towards Michigan Avenue. We strolled down Millennium Park until we met Mike from New Orleans. He sat on the steps with his crutch (which after observation, I realized was broken) at his side. He had hurt his leg falling down stairs and had been walking all day…with a broken crutch. It was so swollen. If ever I had wished for a non-broken crutch to magically fall from the sky, today was the day. We had small talk until he finally asked if he could have food. His eyes lit up as soon as we responded yes. As we left to get him Subway, not knowing if we would keep our word, he looked at us with a mixture of anticipation and doubt.

This leads me to where I began. As I waited in line to get this man food and heard the reaction of the lady in front of us, I was yet again convicted of that one day in Mexico City again. While I did not exactly behave the way the woman did, I still was guilty of being completely self-centered and lacked empathy for those who had less than I did. Repulsed, I realized that if I were to ask myself if I had displayed the mercy that Christ has shown me to the woman in Mexico, I would have to answer no. Motivated, I saw this as a teachable moment for change in my own actions and perspective. We continued to meet more people. The more I saw, the more the need for not only social justice, but also the great need for Christians to serve and get to know the homeless became real to me.

*If there is anything out of all of this that I wish you to read, it would be this.* I read the sign that stated the following: “Please help. I have nothing. Please help.” Wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the hood draped over his head and slightly covering his face, kneeling with his face towards the ground, I saw a man on the streets with a bible sitting right next to him. As we attempted to start a conversation, he lifted up his head and when I looked in his eyes it looked as though he had tears in them. All he wanted was to take a shower and a place to sleep. We began a conversation and asked him his favorite verse. He replied that he loved Psalms and Proverbs and tries to underline verses so he can find them. What got me the most was that he said he is thankful for God because he knows that there are people that have it worse than him. As we prayed for him before we left, I found it hard not to have tears in my eyes myself.

The phrase “I have nothing” has been stuck in my head ever since. Lyrics from worship songs such as lines that say “I have nothing without you” start playing in my mind. I feel conflicted because I feel so grateful for what I have, but at the same time, I feel so much sorrow for what they have to go through everyday. Something needs to be done.

I feel he is the perfect example of what it is like to come to fully accept Grace. To be on our knees and humbly realize that without him we have nothing. Everything I have comes from him and could all be gone tomorrow. I am in so much awe of how God has opened my eyes tonight.

So I encourage that if this resonates within your heart, get a group together and go to Chicago. Be a light where many do not get to see.




I was tears by the end, simply because I too felt convicted of my own actions, heartbroken for the lost, filled with joy from her experience, and guilty for the things I take for granted.

But I also found this to have another lesson that I'm not sure Alicia knew she was putting in there. "Is our American society so set on materialism and instant gratification that we choose to forget to treat those serving us as equal human beings?" Maybe, Alicia... but we as Christians shouldn't. However, I see many Christians today acting the same way this lady did in Subway. They think they have the right to better because of who they believe in... The I AM. But should we continually have an attitude of hierarchy towards others? Let's take a moment to look back on the actions of the God that we follow. So often did our Jesus, the King of Kings, humble himself and make himself a servant. Yet, all the while still was the Son of God!

Last summer while at training camp, one of my students asked why we were called Royal Servants. I told her that I wasn't exactly sure but that I believed there were two possibilities. The first (and less likely, I believe) is that we as children of God are royalty... and we are here serve in the world. But the second is the one that I believe is the true meaning of a Royal Servant. And it that we, as Christians are called, whether it be down the street or the other side of the world. Obeying this call is to serve the Lord, which makes us servants. However we are not just any servant. We are servants of the most high God, the one who spoke creation into being, the Alpha and the Omega... We serve Royalty. Christ said, "what ever you do for the least of these you do for me." Royal Servants taught me to take this seriously. Serving the Lord, although some of us don't have servants hearts (like your truly lol), is where we truly become like Christ. Serve the world on behalf of serving Royalty, the same Royalty that once knelt before his closest friends and made himself the lowest of all and washed their feet. We need to offer up our time (oh and our time is precious...) because it wasn't ours in the first place. Give it all back to God. Remember, we have nothing... without God.

So next time you are walking down a busy street, buy the ladies rice cakes, and have a heart of love towards her. In fact, take some time and change her life, serve her... be like Christ.