Woman in the parking lot

I felt terrible. Earlier in the day a woman had come up to me in a fast food parking lot. She said her children were across the tracks over there. Asked if I could spare any money. Just a bit of change. She was in her late 20s, like me. Her clothes were disheveled and worn. I, in my arrogance, ignored her. I didn't even really look at her. Never said a word. Simply got in my car and left.

For her part, she didn't say anything in return about the hurtful way I'd treated her.

I cried that night. While I could never know for sure if any donation to her would have fed her children or fed a drug addiction, I knew deep down that simply ignoring her was wrong. A fellow human being. Someone God knit together, just like me.

When my brother and I were still babies, our biological father was abusive and threatened our lives. My mother at some point had begged to strangers much like the woman in the parking lot. My mother plead with people she didn't know, hoping to bring us enough sustenance to keep going. My wonderful, amazing, strong mother. Even she had to stoop at one point.

And here I had ignored one who may well have been her sister. Someone in need, and I shunned her. I felt sick at the thought. Sometimes I think I'm a good person, and then I see that none of us is truly good in ourselves.

The situation brought to mind the following verse. It's something I want to bind to my heart:

Jas 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

God, may I ever be watchful for opportunities to gladly help those in need. Take away my selfish spirit, and let what wealth you've given me be a blessing to others.