Nick (not his real name) avoided me, for the most part, except to intimidate me by spewing ugly words. And even though he offered horrible phrases, I’ve longed he might trust in Christ.
I recently stopped at the parking lot where a church group served lunch to the homeless, and I saw Nick sitting on the curb eating from a styrofoam plate. And I made my way near after getting out of the car.
He spoke, “Hi Pam,” a short greeting, like a soothing balm to my heart.
I sat down a few feet away, unsure if my old lady self was stuck on the ground forever, but he was talking to me, so I had to listen.
We spoke of how the rain soaked things, and now the heat warmed up everything, but the camps were still slushy.
We enjoyed a real conversation. And I gave him a verse, a scripture card with words of trusting the Lord with our hearts.
Then, a bit later, another homeless friend helped me rise from the curb. He whispered, “ Why would you sit with Nick? Don’t you know he’s dangerous?”
I straightened my shirt. “He’s calm today.” My tall friend leaned on his stick, nodding. “He’s been known to flip.”
I walked with him to the group of folks lined up for lunch. I reminded him, “I can be moody too. When life gets to you, it’s hard to smile.”
He growled, holding his giant stick. “I’m going now. You should be careful.”
I stopped him. “ Wait, what’s that in your hand?” “It’s my walking stick. If I don’t lean on it, I’ll lose my balance. I’ll fall.”
“ We can lean on Christ. Without Him, we will fall. And we might even judge others.”
My friend clutched the stick, grimacing as if he searched for the words to counter me. I jumped in with, “And as tightly as you hold that stick, I pray you will hear God’s call to your heart. He does love you, and Jesus loves our friend over there, too.” I pointed to the curb.
“Ms. Pam, I don’t know. But you better watch out for that one. As I said, he’s dangerous.”
Slugging his arm, I reminded him. “ You have yelled at me before, more than once, remember? Does that make you dangerous?’
“Maybe when I’m mad.” He wobbled, holding the stick with both hands.
I touched his arm. “But, it’s fine. I forgive you. Today’s news. We can do better.”
He gave me a sly grin as if to tell me he hadn’t asked for my forgiveness.
I added, “ When you’ve mistreated me, I’ve happened along on a bad day. But we’re friends.”
He paused, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be that way.” “I do like it better when you’re nice to me.” “I’ll see if I can work on that.” “And while you’re at it, remember Nick’s going through hard stuff, too.”
“ Yes, I hear you. You just don’t let things go.” “I can be that way sometimes.” “Sometimes?” He laughed, moving along, disappearing into the crowd.
As I think about our encounter, I’m reminded that we should be ready to stand firm, talk to the lonely, or sit with them. You never know what a person is facing or enduring. So be the face of friendship.
Besides, remember, real friends stick with you, no matter what you’re facing. No matter where you find yourself sitting. No matter what your past includes. No matter if you’ve spoken ugly words when life gets hard.
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