The Litterbug

Matthew 25: 44-45  ‘‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’”

There is a homeless outreach ministry on the Monterey Peninsula called “Bags of Hope.” This is a grassroots effort designed to give food, support and encouragement to people who struggle with basic needs. More important, it creates the opportunity to make a friend, show compassion and share God’s love in a small way. Each plastic sandwich baggie holds a granola bar, a dollar bill, an invitation to a local church and a note that says the person giving the bag will pray for you. 

A few weeks ago I was driving back from lunch and pulled up to an intersection where homeless people stand to ask drivers for money. I saw a local homeless man holding his sign, looking for a handout. He was not in good health. He was bloated and it appeared that he was suffering the effects of long term drinking. He was dirty, weathered and looked hung over.

The light was red and I was stopped to wait for traffic. I was behind a white SUV and watched the man standing nearby. The light turned green and, as the SUV began to drive forward, the man made a quick move toward the car. I thought it was odd that the driver would wait for the light to turn green to give the guy a hand out. I glanced over to the car and was shocked to see a plastic sandwich baggie sail out of the passenger side window. The bag broke open as it cleared the window. The granola bar, the dollar bill, the invitation to church and the note saying “I will pray for you,” landed in the gutter and on the street. I had to wait for the man to pick the items up before I could drive forward.

I could not believe what I witnessed. I looked at the SUV and there on the back was a fish and cross sticker! How cool is that? Now I realize that there is always more to the story. Maybe the driver was a brain surgeon going to perform a life saving operation. Or perhaps, there was a family emergency requiring an immediate response. I followed the SUV around the corner to understand why a Bag of Hope was thrown like a Frisbee. The destination of the driver? The mall. Must have been one heck of a sale going on.

I should have written the driver a citation for littering.

Matthew 7 : 21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you...”