“God, give us grace to see all things, to see man’s heart the way you see, we’ve gotta get that vision--love vision.”

It all started when the homeless guy asked me if it was Sunday.

It was a bright Sunday morning after church. I’d gone with my mom to service that morning, and since she had had something important do at church for a few hours, I figured I’d walk across the street and sit at a coffee shop to get some work done. Plus, I could use the me time--yeah, “me” time... remember that.

I took a seat outside to enjoy the day’s pleasant weather. There were three tables; two of them already were occupied. One of them was taken by an older man who was wearing dark sunglasses and messing with his cell phone, and the other by a guy who was obviously homeless. He sat there and smoked a cigarette. I took a seat at the empty table and powered up my laptop to check my Facebook--err, I mean, answer important e-mails.

I wasn’t sitting there but a few moments when I noticed my laptop battery was close to dying. Great. I was gonna be at that coffee shop for at least three hours and I had a battery that was going to last another 10 minutes.

In an effort to salvage my sanity, I began digging in my purse for my iPod. At least that would keep me occupied for awhile. It was while I was looking that I heard a crackling voice break the silence, asking, “Is it Sunday?”

I looked up and noticed the homeless guy sitting in the chair, looking at both myself and the man with the cell phone, hoping one of us would answer. He repeated the question again, I smiled and responded with a yes. Right after I answered him, the man suddenly became distraught and began to tell me about something important he’d forgotten to do the day before, which had completely derailed what he needed to do that day.

At first, I thought he was just going to complain and tell us he was having a bad day, but as time went on, he began to share a small portion of his life--bits and pieces as to why he was there and why he was in the position he was. As I sat there and listened to him, giving him a nod every few moments as he spoke, the man with his cell phone--without a word--stuck his headphones in his ears and walked off. 

The homeless guy looked at him, hurt, because he thought for sure the man was listening. He went on for another 20 minutes before he finally finished his story and walked a few feet away to smoke another cigarette. It was one of the most surreal moments of my life, but I knew deep down God had me there for a reason.

It started getting hotter outside, so I moved indoors and ordered a drink while I set my things down on an empty table. As I sat there, I found myself staring out the window to the homeless man who had returned to his seat. He was counting whatever money he had left in his pockets, placing each bill carefully on the table. I considered going outside and offering him something, when I suddenly overheard one of the employees tell her co-worker that if the man didn’t leave in the next 10 minutes, she would call the police.

My first thought: “WHAT?!” Don’t get me wrong; I understand scenarios of removing people when customers are being harassed, but this guy sat outside minding his own business. He wasn't doing anything wrong (at least, nothing I knew about), and they wanted to call the cops on him? Thankfully, a few moments later, the guy went on his way, giving the coffee shop no need to sound the alarm. What neither of them knew, though, was that one very big alarm had been signaled by their behavior: mine.

Remember how I said before that I was going to that coffee shop for some “me” time? Well, that was the problem. You see, we all live in a self-absorbed culture. We are constantly being told that life is about us. We're told we should only worry about ourselves and forget acknowledging others or going out of our way to help them, because that might make us feel uncomfortable. When I got to the coffee shop that morning, that was my mindset. I had come for “me” time, but as I left, God showed me that “my” time wasn’t about me at all.

Sitting there listening to that homeless man that day, I finally saw God’s vision for how He wants His people to love one another. He doesn’t want us to ignore the needs of others like man with his cell phone, nor does He wants us to be like the employees who were going to call the cops on the guy because he made the business look bad. All that man wanted was for someone to sit down and listen to him that day. Although it wasn’t the most ideal or comfortable position for me, God showed me a big glimpse of what His love looks like.

Paraphrasing from John 3:16, the scripture says for God so loved the world, that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die in our place. That we wouldn’t have eternal separation from God, but that through the death of Jesus, we would have eternal life with Him. A perfect follow up verse for this would be 1 John 4:11, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

God loved, and out of that love, He gave. We are called to do the same, and it's not just about money or possessions. It's also about taking a few moments out of our day to encourage a friend, smile at a stranger, or talk with someone when nobody else would. That’s that stuff that makes an eternal impact in the lives of others. It shows this world that we don’t live for ourselves, we live to give our life away, just like Jesus did.

My favorite line in Beckah Shae’s latest single, “#putyourloveglasseson” is, “God, give us grace to see all things, to see man’s heart the way you see.” This lyric has become one of the biggest cries of my heart. I fully believe that it’s time we as Christians began to step out of our self-absorbed bubbles and got our hands dirty for the sake of the gospel. Going out there and seeing people with God’s eyes, not our own, loving them and letting that they have a purpose and a plan. Ultimately, this is what we’re all called to do.

My challenge for you readers today is Romans 14:1. Pursue love! Make God’s vision your vision. Learn what it means to give your life in loving others, just as God so loved us. I can’t promise you it will always be easy, but I can promise you one thing; it will always be worth it.