Am I Doing Enough....

Two days ago I was walking back from Gorbals and I saw an ambulance pull up on the street. There are no buildings where the ambulance pulled up, there is only a park. I wondered who the ambulance was going to help since I didn't see any people but I continued walking and looked into the park. I saw a man face down on the dirt near a bench in the park. My stomach sunk and I had a sick feeling. I thought he was dead and I am still not sure if he is dead or alive but my heart ached for this man. There were no other people around. I am not sure how the ambulance even found him because no one was standing waiting or them to come and it was freezing out. I watched as the paramedics flipped the limp body onto a stretcher and took him back to the ambulance.

Then I continued walking home and saw another man lying on the street attempting to eat some hot chips (fries), but he was shaking and could barely eat them because it was so cold out. And I saw maybe three other homeless people begging for money on the street. That is five homeless cold people on my 40 min walk home. And I see people like this every day when I walk to work. It started to get me thinking about my value here in Glasgow.

It got me questioning if I am doing enough, am I helping the right people. I know I cannot help everyone and I love the community I work in. I love the mums and the toddlers and I see both the parents and kids grow each week in confidence and patience. I love all the volunteers I work with and I am so appreciative of Bridging the Gap and all the work they do. They change peoples lives and I am proud to be a part of that. But when I see the homeless on the street I feel like I am not doing enough.

In service today, Ian the minister talked about christian unity, but he also talked about unity in the world. He challenged us to think about how we can be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We should all be lights shining and filling up a room rather than lights hidden under a table. He explained that peace isn't easy and that we don't have to agree about everything but we do have to figure out how to disagree peacefully. We need to remember to be humans that love each other. Because when we are truly human, when we acknowledge our vulnerabilities, our discomforts, and our disagreements, we come into contact with the spirit of God.

So thinking about doing more I want to first start to be more human. I want to dive into my work and my community even more than I have and be human with all the people I work with. I want to be patient with the people that frustrate me, and I want to encourage the less confident to shine their lights. Each and every person I work with has strengths and they are all important people. They don't always see it in themselves so I hope I can help them to see it. I also want to strive to talk to more homeless people and find out more ways to help them, other than just giving them money.

If you are asking yourself the same questions about your life, try to be more human. Try to love your enemies, try to push yourself outside your comfort zones, try to be vulnerable and see where it takes you. See if you can see the spirit of God working in your life and in our world as a whole. I will be trying it too and would love to hear all your thoughts. And finally, I pray for the man in the park and all the homeless. If he is alive I pray that he finds help, and heals. If he has passed I pray for his family and friends, that they are comforted and know that God is with them. And I pray for the homeless as a whole, that they find refuge, shelter, love, and acceptance.

Blessings,
Julie