One day while delivering the mail, I saw a man riding a bike toward me. He seemed obviously homeless. All of his belongings were strapped to his bike in a duffel bag. As he got closer, he asked if I had a minute. My first thought was that he either wanted money, a cigarette, a light, or all of the above. Those were the usual requests I heard from others like him. Yet, I stopped and asked him how I could help. His answer totally shocked me as he said, “Hold out your hand.” When I asked him why, he just asked me again to hold out my hand. So, I held out my hand. He put money in MY palm, $1.50 to be exact. He then explained, “It’s hot, you look exhausted. Go get yourself a coke.” When I told him that I couldn’t accept his money, he just got on his bike. As he rode away, he called back to me, “It’s already done.” I was never so humbled and blessed in my life. I also felt ashamed of myself for judging him. 

This encounter reminded me that God became a human like us so that He might understand our journey. Compassion shares the burden of another. I learned a valuable lesson that day. Today, let us show compassion and God’s love to everyone we meet.