Sunday, August 22, 2010

Baffled....

Ok, there's nothing that will drive you to blog than an experience that just blows you away.  Unfortunately, this blew me away in a bad way.  So, after a great weekend of visiting with friends Friday night and driving to Orangeburg to visit and spend the night with family on Saturday for my 30th birthday, Brent, Asher, and I are heading home around 6 this evening.  We take Hwy. 1.  Brent remembers he needed something for work from Lowes so he runs in while Asher and I wait in he car.  We're pulling out of Lowes and see a "clearly" homeless man sitting on the curb across the street.  By "clearly," I mean this man could have been cast in a movie.  Thin, gray hair, shirt that looked as if it were once white, sandals, beard, and dirty all over.  I think to myself, what if that's Jesus or what if this is a test.  I mention to Brent that that man sure looks homeless.  He responds, "He does, do you want to buy him a meal?"  I'm thinking WOW, I'm so glad he thought that too.  I mean, the man was sitting on a curb right beside a Popeye's Chicken so we decide to head through the drive through.  We decided on a three piece chicken meal with mashed potatoes and gravy, a biscuit. and sweet tea.  Sounds yummy and filling to me!?!  So, the man is sitting on the curb beside a stop light on my side of the car.  I roll my window down and say something like, "We thought you might like something to eat" while holding the bag and drink out of the window.  I had planned on ending the conversation with something like, "God bless you, have a great day."
     Ok, this is where things get interesting....his reply is something like, "What do you got?"  Me: "Chicken and mashed potatoes with a sweet tea." Him: "Hmm, no biscuits in there?" Me: "Um, I believe there is one biscuit. Sir, do you not like chicken?" Him: "Not really" (I believe that at this point Brent chimed in with something like "We were trying to do something nice, don't take it if you don't want it."  Brent was a little more perturbed than me.  I was still in a small state of shock.)  So, I had already handed over the bag while he's telling me he doesn't like chicken.  He said, "Well let me see" as he begins to open the box and I stare at his black hands, nails, and crust in the inner corners of his eyes.  Me:  "Sir, if you don't want the meal please hand it back to me and I'll get out what you'd like" because as I mentioned before, I like chicken and Brent and I had planned on eating left-overs at home but I wouldn't mind eating chicken instead.  Well, too late, he's in the box and I knew at this point the meal was all his because I was not taking it back.  I still held the tea in my hand as Brent had had too much.  I'm not sure if we said anything or if we just pulled forward to pull away as he said, "wait, I want the tea!"  As we continued to pull out he screamed, "F*** Y** B****!"  All while swinging the bag of food over his head into the near by flower bed behind him. 
     Oh my goodness...first of all, I've never been told the F Y part.  Second of all, I don't believe I've ever been called a B!  I'm SO non-confrontational and do not like friction or disagreement.  I was in shock!  Brent drove down the road a little ways and turned back around to see what the man was doing.  Well, as we went back by he was enjoying the mashed potatoes.  So, here's where I'm lost.  Did we really intend to bring joy and nourishment and cause anger and hatred in the process?  Was Satan using this man to make us think twice about doing good deeds for strangers in the future?  I just don't know where everything went wrong?  If it were just me, you bet, that man would have his tea and I would have pulled away in shock for his lack of appreciation.  Brent's opinion, the man needs to be taught a lesson on gratitude.  I don't know who's right out of Brent and I but I do know that this man was wrong.  As I mentioned before, this incident just has me baffled and saddened so I just had to share.  Please don't let this story stop you from thinking, "What would Jesus do?" in certain situations.  I do, however, hope that your story has a much happier ending...    

4 comments:

  1. Kristen,
    You are so like me, I am the same way. I never give money because I don't want to contribute to those who are not truly needy but I keep snack bars and water in the car and give them to people in case they are truly hungry and in need on the corners here in Cola. I see how you could feel so hurt by this but I am so glad Brent was with you. Perhaps he was mentally ill.....many of them are. Don't let it change you or your good deeds...I'm sorry you had to go through that but God knows you tried and you know you did not just do nothing and that is what matters.

    Love,
    Courtney

    ReplyDelete
  2. On Sundays a bunch a nice people go to Finley Park to feed the hungry. When I first started going it ticked me off when people weren't grateful or were rude. At that point it was all about me. But I-I-I went to all of the trouble... I-I-I bought the food... I-I-I took time when I could have been out on the lake in my boat, or swimming, or buying stuff at the store, or going to a movie or working in my yard or hanging out with my family, or...

    Hey wait a minute! Most of these folks don't have a lake to swim in, or money to shop, or a car to drive or even a family or a real home to return to. Then my bruised ego gave way to an incredible sense of how blessed I am. I choose to go because I have so much.

    If someone is crabby or insulting I am still the blessed one because I don't have to be crabby. If someone says they wouldn't eat that s***, I am still the blessed one. I can't speak about Satan or even for God - at any level. I just remember that I have so much and, for lots of reasons I am blessed to never truly understand what those folks are going through. Whether it is mental illness, family issues, frustration from being out of work for so long or just plain laziness - I am the blessed one. My brain still works (pretty well), I have a family who loves me, I have a great job, and I am not lazy (often). If they are truly lazy and are really rude that is their issue because I am SOOO blessed.

    This is a really cool story. Thanks for putting it out there. You and Brent are such good folks. Asher is lucky to have you as parents.

    People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.

    Forgive them anyway.


    If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.

    Be kind anyway.


    If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.

    Succeed anyway.


    If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.

    Be honest and frank anyway.


    What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.

    Build anyway.


    If you find serenity and happiness, there may be jealousy.

    Be happy anyway.


    The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.

    Do good anyway.


    Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.

    Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.


    You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God.

    It was never between you and them anyway.


    - Mother Teresa -

    ReplyDelete
  3. Happy Birthday, Kiddo! You are still fresh.

    ReplyDelete