When was the last time you had the opportunity to help somebody that needed it? I’m sure that many of us could do it on a daily basis, although we don’t always choose to take advantage of the opportunity. One of the ways in which we may be able to help people is by helping the homeless. We often see them in our community regularly and some people do help by giving them a dollar or so but others avoid doing it for personal reasons. It’s a choice we must make and it is up to the individual.
There are always going to be people who are willing to help the homeless and others who have a genuine need. They do it quietly, often not wanting to get any recognition for what they are doing. We saw this clearly in the following story. A homeless man went to Chick-fil-A in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He was just looking for a few scraps to eat but he got something much better.
A father and daughter were at the Chick-fil-A and they were watching as the manager helped. Joey Mustain is the father and he posted what he saw on Facebook:
“I took Stella to Chick-fil-A today. It’s our normal daddy-daughter spot. It’s clean, so good, and the playground has a tractor beam on her the moment she sees it.
When we finished eating and she’d worked up her dessert appetite playing with the other kids, we went back to trade in her toy for ice cream. She wanted to sit at a table to eat the cone (something we usually do in the truck), and I’m so glad she did.
We took a booth right next to the spot where you wait for your drink to be ‘refreshed,’ and we had a front-row seat to this beautiful scene: a homeless traveler had walked in and asked if they had any extra food.
Mud was wet and caked on his well-traveled shoes.
His hair was matted, and his beard wasn’t a statement as much as it was a necessity and a sign that he doesn’t get to shave as often as most of us do.
People near him kept their distance, but that didn’t stop him from being kind. He spoke to people who reluctantly spoke back, and he smiled while he waited on a manager.”
The manager went over to the homeless man and Joey was pleasantly surprised with what he did.
“All I could pick up on of the conversation was the manager saying that he’d love to give him a full, warm meal. Not just scraps or extras.
After the homeless man agreed, there was no waiting for things to die down, there was no scooting anyone to the side.
As busy as they were, the manager stopped then and there, laid his hand on the man, and proceeded to pray.
I heard love in that prayer. The homeless man wasn’t some untouchable stain on business. He was the reason that store opened its doors this morning (or any morning).
I asked Stella to watch and she stared. She asked what was happening and when I told her, she bowed her head, too.
I realized then and there that Chick-fil-A doesn’t simply do business for profits, they truly use business to minister…
I love teaching my daughter life lessons, and I also love being there to watch other Christians teach her life lessons. Thank you, Chick-fil-A, for taking care of the latter today.”
The manager could have asked the man to leave and he had the right to do so. He decided that he would step up to the plate, however, and do something good for him. We can all learn something from the kindness of this man.
