But, two days ago I did a double take on one gentleman sitting on the corner of Madison and Dearborn in downtown Chicago. It wasn't a double take because he was ill or because pee was trickling down the sidewalk. It was because he was reading the bible.
I was taken aback because I had never seen a homeless person read the bible while patiently waiting for money to fall into a McCafe cup.
I observed him for two days, thinking, maybe he will stop reading it. Maybe I happen to come at the exact time the person who gave it to him left.
Today on my commute to work I remembered him and wondered if he'd still be at the corner of Madison and Dearborn. I wanted to pray for him, for him to continue his faith no matter his situation. I saw him there, and he was still reading the bible.
I left work a little early, bought a Wendy's combo meal, put it in my backpack, and went to him.
His name is James. I asked him if he was reading the bible. "Yes." I asked him if he was a Christian. "Yes." I asked him if he believed in Jesus as his personal savior. He said that he believes God is the one who put him in this position.
After giving him the dinner I bought him, he shared with me a little about his life. He told me that he lost his job as a floor installer with the 2009 housing crash. Nobody wanted to build homes after that and so nobody bought his business. His wife left him. His four daughters live out of state. I asked him if they knew he was homeless. "I would never want my daughters to know I'm homeless."
Do you keep in touch with them? "Over Facebook." How do you use Facebook? "The public library."
My heart broke. Over the internet, he was still a dad living in a home in Chicago. In reality, his day job was panhandling and by night he was sleeping in alleys.
He was masking the reality of his situation and reading the bible to "make the time go by."
He said he was raised in a Roman Catholic Church, but now attends Willow Creek, a big Christian Church based in Chicago. He reads the bible while waiting for a miracle to happen.
By hearing of his attendance at church and search for biblical comfort, I know that God is pursuing James. Afterall, we seek Him because He sought us first. Such is the scandal of grace. I prayed for James after he shared about his life. I continue to pray that no matter what his situation is, all he counts is loss, for Christ is our greatest gain. Our family, friends, homes, jobs, money, fame-- everything is a loss compared to the gift that made us co-heirs to the son of God.
God works in his awe provoking ways that are unique to each and every one of our personalities and lives. He knows us better than we know ourselves and I believe God is doing his thing by bringing James into intimate waves. For He knows our circumstances. He knows how we feel. He knows how James is doing and there is true hope in that, with James's belief, God will bring him out of homelessness. God will be ever more lifted for others to see. God's love is violating. And He wants to show us that love in ways that we may initially reject. But, sometimes God has got to violate our lives to silence the deafening noise we live in. God's power and love works contrary to nature and his miracles are a testimony to His reality in this present second.
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