A man alone

What leads a person to where they are?

Why do two people in apparently the exact same situations in life react in such different ways?

Why do I react so differently to two people in apparently the exact same situation in life?

Why do I not seem to have any idea as to how I should react to the above people??

Boy, I've been pondering these questions a great deal lately. What precipitated these thoughts is the presence of a man alone. I say that he is alone because I know nothing more than what I see. He is of average height, thin but not emaciated, with long hair and beard. He has taken to wearing some of those funny new shoes that look like plastic slip-ons with holes in them, in a bright red color. He carries his rolled-up sleep mat, bound with a rope and hanging down in front of his belly. The pack slung on his back is large and full. I see him almost every single day as I drive in to work, walking along the side of the road. I often see him as I come home, headed the other way to places unknown. I see him others times, occasionally.

One recent Saturday, my family ate breakfast at the McDonald's near where I see him walking; he was there, having his own breakfast. I suspect this is where he is headed most mornings, in the pre-dawn light and chill that hangs even in Houston at this time of year. I saw him as he prayed over that meal, and it seemed that he spent more time in that prayer than I frequently spend in a day talk to my God. I also saw the way some eyed him askance, unspoken thoughts running through their minds about this man alone in a restaurant full of people. Perhaps some worried about what he might do with all the little children eating and playing there, a sentiment I can honestly understand. Perhaps some felt uncomfortable with his near presence, or a prejudice of who he is and what his life is. I don't know their thoughts, I can only guess; but I do know my own thoughts about this man. I see him, and I see one who is in hard times - the outward appearance - and I see one whose heart is good and trustworthy - the inward appearance.

I will admit that this is not my impression of every person I see on the roadside around town. I'm often skeptical, though Mrs. E reminds me not to judge and to be generous; skeptical of their true need, of their intentions and if they could be relied upon to wisely use what I might give. But there in lies the distinction between this man alone and the others: I have never, not once in the many months since first observing him, seen him ask for anything. Nothing. Never begging on the roadside, though his need is at least as obvious as many of those to which I've given a handout. He walks, eats at McDonald's, spends his day doing who knows what, and then he walks back to whence he came.

The difference may not be in him. Perhaps it is my perception of him that separates him from the many others I see on the streets. He strikes me as one in need but not as one who is needy, if you see my distinction. And this distinction, be it in him or me, makes me ask myself these question. Is he so different as I suppose, despite living in the same situation as others? What brought him to be there, walking every morning and afternoon along my normal commute? Why do I perceive him as being so different than the others? I have scant little information about him or any other person living on the street to form any kind of judgment. And finally, why am I so confused as to what I should do? Should I approach him - say with a McDonald's card to give him meals for a little while? Should I instead give him the space he may want, since he has asked for nothing?

The more I consider this man, the more I pray for answers, the more I feel I should do something to help. I am more than open to suggestions on this one.

Tags: Homeless, Christian Living, Uncertainty, Seeking, Questioning, Introspection