Word Count: 934

Contact Aaron Griffith

Touch

by Aaron Griffith  
7/05/2007 / Christian Living

At first I was so ashamed that I could barely lift my eyes off my plate. We had just been there the week before serving a meal and now just a few days later we were on the other side of the line. We were grateful for the food being served to us, and ironically it was the same food we had prepared days before. It had been a few days since my boss laid me off unexpectedly at the worst possible time. It was a couple of weeks before Christmas and we had just moved all of our belongings into an old house in need of serious repair in a bad part of town. We had stayed one night and that was it, I had no money to make the repairs it needed and I couldn't keep my wife and two baby girls there in that environment. In a weeks time we had gone from comfortable living to homeless.

Months earlier my wife and I, struggling to incite people to action within our church, were finally able to put a notice in the bulletin. We called our undertaking Isaiah 58:10, it was a grassroots ministry made up of people called to serve the needy. We contacted various service organizations around our hometown and pledged to call upon our large congregation to help meet some of their crucial needs. It was great and some good was done in the name of Christ, but we felt called to more. So, we got together a group of servants and paid to open the local soup kitchen on a Saturday to feed whoever would come. We prepared and served meals to over 250 men, women, and children that morning. They were the very least of society, people who had lived hard lives many with children that had already begun to follow in their footsteps. It was difficult, yet rewarding beyond explanation. When it was over, we wrapped up the extra to use another day. We said our good byes and went back to the comfort of our lives.

Just days after that wonderful experience, my wife and I were walking back through the doors of Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, but this time our children were with us, and this time it would us that they would serve. We walked through the crowd and got in line as I grasped on to my daughters as tightly as I could. As we took our trays I'll never forget the looks that came from the people serving us. It was a mixture of disgust, sorrow, and pity all wrapped up into one heavy stare. It left me feeling dirty and ashamed. We took our food and sat at one of the tables with an unkempt man and a man and woman who I assumed were married. As we began to eat, I could feel them staring at us. They knew we weren't from the streets. Soon, people started coming up to us and introducing themselves. They offered words of comfort and hope as they opened their arms to us. Oddly, it wasn't the church people who reached for us, it was the least. The poor, the drug addicted, the street women, the vagabonds. One disheveled man offered to help find me a job and another asked if we had a place to stay. Eventually they went back to their tables and allowed us to eat. Though they had offered us hope, I was still on guard. I watched carefully, everyone that passed by our table as people began to file out. Then it happened.

In the midst of that strange day, in that dangerous place, God orchestrated an intersection of two lives and a picture that would change me forever. Two black women were walking past us holding on to one another. They were dirty and reeked of many types of filth. I had seen them earlier sitting alone in one of the corners and it was obvious that they were a couple by the way they interacted. They looked tired and beaten down by the world. They were trash, the refuse of society, thrown away to the streets where they would not offend us by their existence. As they walked behind me I turned my head away just in time to see my youngest daughter reaching for them. Before I could stop her, she had reached out and grabbed one of the women's hands. The woman stopped walking abruptly and stood perfectly still. She placed her other hand on top of the tiny hand that had reached out for her. She turned to face my wild haired little girl and as there eyes met Olivia simply smiled. The woman's eyes began to tear up as they stared into each others eyes sharing some unspoken communication. I watched, in awe, as a two year old presented the gospel of Jesus Christ better than most Christians will ever do, and she never spoke a word. There was no judgment in her touch, only love and acceptance. The woman said thank you, and walked out the door in the arms of her mate.

Though it was a difficult time, I was truly blessed that day. God showed me a picture of Grace that was profound and life changing. If we could only be more like two year olds, think of the difference we could make in this world. Imagine an army of believers full of love, reaching out to the lost, without judgment, and being ambassadors of the Grace and Mercy of Jesus Christ. What a glorious sight that would be.

Since 2003, Aaron Griffith has been a follower of Jesus Christ. He and his wife Rian have two beautiful girls & together they lead Isaiah 58:10 ministries sharing the transforming grace of Jesus by serving the needy in their community. Aaron also serves as a worship leader & Men's Ministry leader.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! Click here and TRUST JESUS NOW

Read more articles by Aaron Griffith

Like reading Christian Articles? Check out some more options. Read articles in Main Site Articles, Most Read Articles or our highly acclaimed Challenge Articles. Read Great New Release Christian Books for FREE in our Free Reads for Reviews Program. Or enter a keyword for a topic in the search box to search our articles.

Enter comments below. Due to spam, all hyperlinks posted in the comments are now immediately disabled by our system.

Please type the following word below:

Not readable? Change text.

The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

Hire a Christian Writer, Christian Writer Wanted, Christian Writer Needed, Christian Content Needed, Find a Christian Editor, Hire a Christian Editor, Christian Editor, Find a Christian Writer