Give It to the Homeless Man

Trebor looks at his cake and sighs. Carrying it to the bus would be embarrassing and throwing it away would be wasteful. He remembers something in the Bible about his faith requiring action and helping those in need. He’s got this perfectly good cake - or at least perfectly intact cake. Suddenly the words of family members concerning the homeless come to mind:

They need to get off their lazy butts and get jobs. 

Let’s cross the street so that we don’t have to walk past them. 

Don’t give them money. They’ll use it for drugs and alcohol. 

Be careful, they’re probably crazy. 

They smell.

If they’re that desperate, they’d live in a shelter. 

They chose that lifestyle.

Something tells Trebor to ignore those thoughts. In fact, he feels a strong pull toward the man and moves in his direction. The man is sitting with his back to the school building and doesn’t seem to notice Trebor approaching. So Trebor does something he’d never expect himself to do. He sits down next to the man. 

“Hi,” says Trebor.

The man barely turns his head. “Hello.”

“I have a cake that I don’t want,” says Trebor. “Want it?”

The man looks out the side of his eye. “What kind is it? Since you don’t want it?”

Wow. Beggars can’t be choosers, thinks Trebor. Then again, he didn’t actually beg or even ask for it. 

“Actually,” says Trebor, “I have no clue. I won it.”

The man reaches over and grabs the cake. “Well,” he sighs, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” He lifts the plastic up to take a whiff. “Or maybe it’s just trash.”

Trebor stands up and nods. “Okay, well have a nice day.”

“John,” says the man. 

“Huh?”

“That’s my name. And thank you for thinking of me.”

Trebor stops. “Not trying to be rude but, why are you homeless?”

John begins to tear up and proceeds to explain how he was a verbally and emotionally abusive husband and father. His kids no longer speak to him. He is a vet and has struggled to keep a job all of his life. When his wife, the family’s provider died, it left more than a regretful hole in his heart. He learned that he was cut from her will from the lawyer. He sunk into depression and tried to bully co-workers. He struggled to find jobs that could even pay for rent. 

“Why not live in a shelter?” says Trebor.

“A shelter is the reminder of my failure,” says John. “It’s more complicated than that and if I still had hope in life, maybe I’d go.”

Something wells up in Trebor’s heart. A feeling of courage and a sense of fear tear at his soul. His youth pastor recently challenged him to be bolder about his faith. He shares with him the hope that he has in Jesus. 

John begins to break down and says, “You’re not the first person to tell me that, son.” The man turns his back and weeps. How should Trebor respond?