ABOVE: Without so much as a blink of his eye, he was pedaling straight into the wind in a snowstorm. Every day, there is much to notice that we might be moved to do more than notice.
I know a few women who pray earnestly for the stray cats during the cold snaps of January. They cried over their prayers and followed up by taking in strays or by adopting rescues.
I have a close relative whose daily walks in Manhattan prompted him to start a non-profit that collects and distributes hats, underwear, gloves and socks to the homeless (H.U.G.S., USA).
I passed a man wearing dark clothes on a chilly night walking along a narrow, 55-mph highway. I thought for sure he would get hit by an 18-wheeler. I turned around and gave him a lift. After speaking to him, it was obvious that he had some mental health challenges. When I dropped him off, he promised me he’d get back to the Rescue Mission for Thanksgiving.
Almost everyday, I go by bus stops where lower-income folks are waiting in the biting cold. I see mothers shuffling around with kids and groceries who are all trying to fight off Old Man Winter. And then there was the man in the snowstorm who passed by my heated car who was riding a bicycle.
It’s impossible to solve every hard situation. But it’s possible to warm some in our immediate circles. If our circle doesn’t bring us close to the least-of-these, we need to widen our circles.
PORTAL TO HEAVEN: Jesus was called to “the lost sheep of Israel.” He sets the example that each of us is “called.” Where is your inconvenient sweet spot?
[Jesus] answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel’… When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd… you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Matthew 15:24 NIV [Editor’s bracket], Matthew 9:36 NIV, Acts 1:9 NIV