Giving Feels Good!

As I walked into the grocery store tonight – my SECOND trip of the day – just outside was a teen sitting on the ground, head down resting on his knees. He looked like he was waiting for a ride and as if he might have been waiting awhile. I headed in for the things I had forgotten on the first trip and when I came back out, he was still there. I asked him if he needed a ride somewhere. He hesitated, “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know why they’re not here yet. Could I use your phone to make a call first?”

His friend’s car had broken down somewhere; she didn’t know how long she’d be. So yeah, he could use a ride. I received a text with the address. It would take me an extra 30 minutes, and the opposite direction from my house. But he was grateful. As we drove, he introduced himself, said he was 19, was from Kansas City and worked for his dad.

As I headed back home, I had to wonder what causes a kid to make his way to Sedalia from Kansas City with no phone and no vehicle. I still don’t know the answer (except he came to see a girl). But I know he was very thankful that he wasn’t still sitting on the sidewalk at the grocery store on a hot, sticky night in a town he had no idea where to go. And I know I felt better knowing I had made a difference in someone’s life today. “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.’” (Matthew 25:40) It feels good to give!