Be careful what you pray for... seriously!

Earlier this week, I sat down to eat my lunch and I blessed my food before eating, as I normally do.  I normally say something simple, like "Thank you Lord for this food. Bless it, purify it, and let it be nourishing to my body. In Jesus' name, AMEN". Well this particular time, I got as far as thanking God when the thought hit me: there are millions of people who literally have nothing to eat, and possibly haven't eaten for days. So I made it my business to add "Lord, please bless those who are starving and provide for their needs somehow."

That very afternoon, I drove through a fast-food joint to get something to eat before going to a meeting.  There are a couple of vagrants who frequent that spot but one in particular seems to have it as his personal turf.  So I placed my order and while I'm at the payment window, he appears outta no where and rolls up on me to beg for money.  I never give out money but I always offer to buy food for those who are less fortunate so they can at least have something to eat. So I tell the lady at the payment window to add nuggets and fries to my bill because I figure I can squeeze that outta the change I was gonna get back. All of a sudden, the man tells me "I don't eat nuggets, just burgers and chicken". So I had an instant O_o moment, and told him "Yeah, umm, nuggets are make from chicken". Then he has the nerve to retort "But I don't eat nuggets... I eat chicken sandwich."

EXCUSE YOU?! Let me tell y'all, that I could NOT believe I was having that conversation! Clearly, he didn't get the memo: beggars can't be choosers!! Isn't that in the Bible somewhere in red??  OK maybe not, but still, I couldn't get over the audacity of this man who is dictating what I should buy for him out of my hard-earned money! I mean, if he [lied and] told me he was allergic to chicken or was a vegetarian, I woulda been willing to work with him... So the end result was that I just ordered the fries alone cuz I wasn't about to argue with him.

Later that night I was talking to my mom about it and I couldn't help but laugh at how the day unfolded.  I started out praying for those who have no food and God saw to it that I had the perfect opportunity to help someone who needed food. Imagine that... the Lord used me to answer my own prayer. Not sure if I actually did, though. I mean, Jesus told us (in Matthew 25):

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, ....’

   ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?...
   ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

This man, a vagrant as I referred to him, would be considered one of the least in our society but Jesus begged to differ.  Now, reflecting on the conversation I had with him--and I still maintain that he shoulda been more humble about his 'request'--it makes me wonder if I would have acted the same way if Jesus was standing there.  Would my treatment of this man have earned me "the kingdom prepared for [me] since the creation of the world"? Or would Jesus have said " ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels"?

Things that make you go "hmmmm..."

be blessed,

pVI