French fries in the garbage can

I cried today waiting in line for my food at McDonald's!

I know, yes- late night trips to Mcd's is that moustache on our grandma that we don't wanna talk about- but we all secretly do!
I watched "super size me" and didn't eat there for a month, but like a bad habit- it drew me back in- yes, I am a sinner. I know it- I repent :)

But I diverge...

As I sat in line contemplating those huge questions of the universe: "Am I gonna be good and only get the snack size mcflurry? well it's only 30 cents more to upgrade to the larger one, and that's such a great deal! I shouldn't turn it down!, no it's late- I don't want this to go straight to my hips..."- out of the corner of my eye I saw a man walking and he caught my attention.

It is not yet too too cold here in Dallas- well at least not for this northerner who knows what actual cold is (you know what I'm sayin!). And here was a man that in my mind was overly dressed. He had on a hoodie and some gloves and a hat and he was walking toward a trash can across the street. I watched for a moment because I had nothing else to do waiting in my car (I really do enjoy people watching- you never know what they are gonna do!), and wondered if maybe he was a janitor who would be taking out the trash. As I continued to watch, the man took the lid of the can and started sifting through it. This surprised me because I was waiting for him to lift out the bag and tie it up to take it to some larger bin. At this point I thought that maybe he had lost something and was looking to see if it was inside this trash can, but after he finished he walked a few feet to another can and repeated the same process. That is when it dawned on me- maybe this man is homeless or in need.

And that's when the grappling started. In my brain I started running through all the scenarios: here I was alone in the car, a woman in a not so great part of the lovely city of Dallas (where police sirens are heard on a daily basis)- wondering if I should approach a possibly homeless or drug addicted man and ask him if he needed some help or some food. Those are the stories that make their way to unsolved mysteries (of which I was an avid- if not terrified watcher from an early age- I am scarred, so pray for me!).

What can I do God? I wondered if maybe I should run over and hand him a few dollars, but then if I got out of line would everyone be mad at me for messing up the system? And besides, I had always heard that you shouldn't give homeless or addicts cash- you should take them somewhere and buy them something that they need- food, clothes...

I felt so helpless! God did you have this man catch my attention because I am supposed to help him? Am I simply to pray and ask you to do something on behalf of this man? and why doesn't anyone else seem to notice- especially the MEN in this very long and annoyingly slow line- what about that guy in front of me with the Jesus fish on his car- would he help? how about this guy in the car behind me on his cell phone? would he think I was crazy if I got out of my car and asked him to take 5 dollars to that man digging in the trash? would he do it?

After an eternity in my mind, the line moved to the place where I paid and picked up my food, and as I pulled out of the line I circled around to try to see if that man was still near the trash cans across the street, but he was gone. What could I have done God? I want to be you with flesh on but I want to be wise too. Was I wrong? Then I thought to myself- well I have these piping hot french fries, I wonder if I were to go over and throw them in the trash if that man would come back and find them? What else should I throw away to help him if he's hungry- we don't even need this food, it was only a whim, a want- what if he's hungry tonight?

As those contemplations continued it dawned on me-

Isn't that what God did for us?

On an infinitely larger scale, God took something valuable to Him and threw it in the trash so that we in our desperation and deepest need while digging through that trash-might find Him!

He knew us, He knew that we couldn't come to Him, that we didn't even know how to ask for what He knew we needed, and before we could even ask- John 3:17: "God sent his own son into the world, not to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved."

Jesus: a part of the holy trinity became flesh- came to this trash heap of a world, rank with sinful piles of filth because...

I believe this blog (http://vaughnblog.blogspot.com/ ) says it well:

"The only way to bring sinful humanity and a holy God back into relationship was by a blood sacrifice.

Max Lucado, in The Applause of Heaven, writes: "The law called for spilling the blood of a lamb. That would be enough. It would be enough to fulfill the law. It would be enough to satisfy the command. It would be enough to justify God's justice. But it would not be enough to take away sin… "because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." (Heb. 10:4)Sacrifices could offer temporary solutions, but only God could offer the eternal one.

So He did.

Beneath the rubble of a fallen world, He pierced His Hands.

In the wreckage of a collapsed humanity, He ripped open His side.

His children were trapped, so He gave His blood.

It was all He had. His friends were gone.

His strength was waning.

His possessions had been gambled away at His feet.

Even His Father had turned His Head.

His blood was all He had. But His blood was all it took!"

Marvel at the paradox! The Living Water was thirsty. The Son of God separated from His Father. The Living Water thirsted. The Bread of Life died. The Way, the Truth and the Life became sin, lies and death. For me. For you. Because our sin required it…"

Wherever that man is tonight Lord- would you meet him! Surround him as with a blanket and comfort him- May he know you as we know you- As the God who sees! Abba, Daddy Father. Seeing us in our deepest depravity and kneeling in that filth to meet us there! May you fill more than his physical hunger tonight O God- Fill that need that is in every human being- to be forgiven and accepted and loved by you! In the name of the one who made that possible- Jesus!