From One Beggar to Another

Have you ever seen a beggar?

Maybe not up close and personal, but from a distance?

Don't they look different than you? Discouraged; like they've missed their chance in life? Desperate; willing to take a chance on any thought of hope passing their way?

Almost immediately we begin to build a caricature of who we think we've seen under a bridge or on a commercial informing us about the issue of poverty. But the truth is, beggars are dressed in all types of array from the richest of the rich to the poorest of the poor.

There are beggars in Hollywood! Haven't you seen them? Their lifestyles are screaming for someone to notice them! To see that they are desperate! Sure, they have money, nice clothes, and plenty of people around them. But they're lonely and destitute hoping someone would prove to them that there's more to life than this.

There are also beggars in your hometown! Be it upper-middle class in the suburbs of big city lights or the working class in small towns all across America. They're everywhere! Working paycheck to paycheck no matter how many digits are showing in their bank account. They're begging for someone's attention!

And here I am; a beggar! No I haven't lived under a bridge, and no, I didn't premiere on a commercial about homelessness. But it's true; I was once a beggar. I was starving for attention. I was desperate for someone to notice me. I was empty and void of feeling like my life had purpose.

And then He found me. I wasn't looking for Him. In fact, I was reasonably sure I could do this without Him. Sure, I had heard about Him. But He seemed to be distant, uninvolved, and unimpressed with my feeble ways.

However, I was wrong. He very much wanted to be a part of my life. He fed me. He comforted me. He gave me purpose. He painted a big picture of what life was really about; a picture that portrayed the great lengths He was willing to endure to provide a way for me to know Him. So I don't have to keep begging or wandering alone through life trying to figure this out on my own.

And now, as part of His forever family, He has given me permission to take this story, my daily bread, and begin feeding it to others. So, here I am, just one beggar trying to tell another beggar where to find bread!