Mercy, Love, and Hope

Our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action. – 1John 3:18

A few days ago, I exited the highway and saw an older man in a wheelchair begging at the end of the off-ramp.  The car in front of me, which ended up stopping right next to the old man, was a dirty beat-up Subaru (the official car of Boulder). Because the number of heads inside, bobbing up and down to the beat of the stereo’s thumping bass, exceeded the number of seat belts, I figured it was full of teens. 

When the driver noticed the man in the wheelchair, he quickly turned down the music and reached into the middle of his car.  It looked like he was digging around for something.  (No joke, my first thought was that he was probably going to give the man a joint to smoke to help him with his pain.) 

The light turned green but the Subaru stood still.  Suddenly, the front door flung open and the driver ran over to the man. He emptied the change cupped in his hands into a plastic bag hanging from the wheelchair.  Then, the boy quickly rifled through his jeans pockets, front and back, in search of more money.  Finding a few dollar bills, he triumphantly held them up to the sky, then added them to the bag.  

He quickly patted the older man on the shoulder as if to say “You’ve got this!” then, like a little child on a playground, joyfully skipped back to his car.  Yes, he skipped!  Inside the car, I could see hands high fiving each other and hear laughter coming from the Subaru.    

Tears stung my eyes.  All I could say was, “Thank you God!  There is hope for these teenagers.”  Because the light was still red, I opened my car door and walked over to the gentleman. I placed a handful of granola bars also in his plastic bag, patted him on the shoulder and wished him a blessed day.  I glanced over at the young boys and smiled.  

Then didn’t need a mom to tell them “Great Job!” though. They had already shown that the power of cheerful giving had rushed through their veins and filled their hearts with joy.  

That young boy reminded me of the mercy and love the Good Samaritan showed to a complete stranger in the Bible.  When the Good Samaritan happened upon a man beaten and left for dead in a ditch, he stopped to care.  He gave his time and money, expecting nothing in return. 

My city, like many others, is perplexed about how we’re to help people begging on our streets.  Some people ignore them.  Some call the police to have them removed.  Others care, share, and show love to these complete strangers in need.

In my mind, those teens in the dirty, beat-up Subaru are a modern day example of Jesus’ love on earth.  I believe if Jesus came back today, He’d behave just like the young boy did.  He’d give all He had, encourage with a touch, and love everyone.  (He’d probably heal the man as well.)  The young boy did all he could in that moment, which ignited a chain reaction of mercy, love and hope. 

Who can you reach out to today or this weekend to show mercy, love or help to?  Who needs help in your corner of the city?  

When our hearts fill up with mercy, we will give and help others no matter who they are, what they look like, or how well we know them. If we believe mercy and cheerful giving exemplifies God’s love on earth and increases our joy, we’ll find a way to express it soon.  And when we do, we might just find ourselves skipping a little bit too.  

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