The Love Project: A Cup of Joe

Friday morning. 6:00am.  Coffee time.

Starbucks is right around the corner. Praise the Lord. 4am rise and shine times on Fridays, they get to me sometimes.

I pass a lot of people on the street everyday. I notice a lot of them, but not all.

I don't know what it was about this guy that caught my attention.

Maybe it was his stooped, hunched shoulders. Or his neatly trimmed beard. Or that he looked cold.

But, I watched as he bent over to pick up what I thought was a penny. The closer I got, the more I realized it wasn't a penny. It was the butt of a used cigarette.

As I passed him, I watched him put it to his lips and try to re-light it...

I am a fan of frugality. This however, was not frugality, it was desperation in it's most quiet form.

Then I got choked up. And almost started to cry.

This man could be anyone we know. Our grandpa. Brother. Cousin. Father. Friend.

I almost turned back and asked if he wanted some coffee. I hesitated too long though, and he was gone. Maybe next time. Or maybe someone else.

I am richly blessed, and I know it. I can go to the store for groceries whenever I want. My bed is warm at night, and I have shoes. Too many shoes.

This morning I was convicted, because,  maybe I need to be more generous with what I have. If I can buy myself a cup of coffee, then I can buy someone else a cup as well.

It's not much, but maybe, just maybe someone will feel love through that cup of coffee.

#theloveproject2014