stan

Today I'm working from a Starbucks right in the middle of Nashville. I'm sitting outside under the covered porch just minding my own business and enjoying the pretty music coming from my new purple ear buds. It's a beautiful day, about 80 degrees I'd guess and as long as the chilly breeze stays away I'm almost perfect, temperature wise (with my hoodie on of course).

As I was sitting here answering emails and preparing my calls and meeting for the afternoon a man sat down at a table across from me, clothes tattered and old backpack stuffed full of probably all he owns. Immediately the Lord told me to offer this man something to eat...my thoughts were flooded with excuses. I don't want to offend him. I can't leave my computer and stuff here at the table. And the worst one of all, I'm really not comfortable going up to him. Really? You're going to be too inconvenienced to offer someone something to eat and drink? Well...this man, who is probably nameless or worse, faceless, to most, has a deep booming voice, and gives a good, firm hand shake. His name is Stan and he loves a good vanilla latte.

I tell you this story because I can't even fathom how many Stan's I've walked by, how many I've avoided because of some rational excuse. I'm ashamed of myself because I pray daily for opportunities to share the love of Christ with others and then I turn my nose up to, or coward at, the opportunities that the Lord entrusts to me. I'm heartbroken because our society is so numb, so blind to the needs of others. We have conditioned ourselves to avoid eye contact and walk on by the lame and hurting. We are so plugged in that we forget there are actually people, flesh and blood, breathing the same air around us. We stay inside our safe homes, our safe churches even, shining our light among other lights. But what about our call to be the Light in the places overwhelmed by darkness? Oh, no. Those are scary, unsafe, and we'll just leave those places for the really super spiritual folks.

I guess that's the thing about faith. It's not promised safety or comfort. But really, what good adventure is safe or comfortable? It's in the thrills that our breath is taken away, our hearts beat uncontrollably and we learn that it's way better to be right in the middle of the action than sitting on the sidelines watching. Let's be fierce warriors and warrior princesses. We are loved unconditionally and if we truly believe that Christ is the only way to salvation it's far more risky to do nothing.