DAWN

Several years ago, I was going to a homeless encampment to visit with the people there. I developed a friendship with a man named Dean and I really enjoyed talking with him. It was interesting, and heartbreaking, to hear some of the stories these people shared. I tried to understand how someone could end up living on the streets this way; after all, many of these folks had been much like myself in many ways. With some, alcohol and/or drugs had led them here. For others, the loss of a job or divorce and depression.

One evening I was talking with a small group when a young lady approached. I could not help but notice how pretty she was, despite being dirty and a bit disheveled. Dean introduced her as Dawn and then said, “she’s a crack whore.” She was standing right there but did not say anything. I was shocked. I thought he might have been joking but he told me that indeed, she was a crack whore. She seemed to okay with what he said but I could not understand how. I told him he should not say that, but he insisted that she was, and she knew it.  

The two of them talked for a few minutes and then he asked if I would give her a ride home. I wish my next thoughts were different, I am ashamed to admit this, but my first thought was, what if someone sees me? How would this appear? Regrettably, my thoughts were of myself. While I felt great compassion for Dawn, I was swept with feelings about how this might look.

We had barely started on our way when she asked me if I could buy her a hamburger. We went through a drive-through and she asked if I minded if she got a small fry. I felt this overwhelming compassion for this young lady so I told her she could get whatever she wanted. We got her a super-sized meal and continued. She offered me some of her food but I declined. I thought it might have been awhile since she ate and I wondered when she might eat again. She kept thanking me but I felt like I was getting the bigger blessing.

As we drove on, we talked. In response to one of her questions, I replied that I was a Christian. What she said next broke my heart. She said, “I like Jesus, He hung around with people like me.”

Talk about conviction. I had to fight back tears. This beautiful broken young girl saw in Jesus what most of us in the church fail to see: a Jesus that loves and seeks out people like her.

When I dropped her off on a dark and deserted looking street, I feared for her safety, but she insisted she would be fine. She thanked me again and said, “God bless you.” I left her there a changed man.

Every time I am in that area, I think about her. Is she still around? Is she still alive or did the streets claim another victim? I pray for her still to this day. I had reluctantly agreed to take her home, but I am so thankful I did. 

  

Dawn, wherever you are, Thank You!

In the book of Luke, Jesus told a parable about two men that went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, a church leader, and the other a tax collector. Tax collectors were despised by the Jews because they collected taxes for the Roman government which the Jews felt they should not have to pay. Many collected above and beyond what was owed to line their own pockets. The Pharisee prayed, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men-extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” The tax collector on the other hand would not even look up but beat his chest and prayed thus, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” Jesus then said, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14). 

  

James, the brother of Jesus, in his letter talks about the danger of treating some people better than others, based on their wealth or position, while treating the poor with disdain. He then talks about faith without works. He explains that our works do not gain our salvation but our works are a demonstration of our faith (salvation). In other words, doing good works does not save us but if we are saved, we will do good works because we are saved. James then gives two examples: Abraham, known and revered by the Jews as a righteous man, and then Rahab, a prostitute. She assisted the Jews in the conquest of Jericho. While she would have been looked down on because of her profession, she was spared when the city fell and later we read that she was in the ancestral linage of Jesus (James 2:1-26; Joshua 2:1-22, 6:1-25; Mat. 1:5).  

Lastly, the writer of the book of Hebrews states, “Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels” (Heb. 13:1-2, NKJV).

I have often wondered if Dawn was an angel…

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