“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have ^[arefused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'”
1 Samuel 16:7

It is one of my favorite places on earth…

That’s right… Whataburger. I see that orange W and my stomach leaps out of my belly and onto my car dashboard demanding that we race for a sausage biscuit. I have even, to my shame, hit another car to my right in an effort to change lanes, get around a cement trunk in front of me, in order to get that prized breakfast.

But this trip to Whataburger was different. I was in sitting in the drive-thru and looked to my right to see a homeless man walking towards our cars. In that moment it was quiet, no music was playing, I wasn’t on my phone and I just watched this man walk towards us. God spoke to me,

“You and him are the same. You both need a Savior…”

In that moment I realized that could be me. Strung out on drugs, on the streets, picking up change in the parking lot. He obviously had not bathed in days, even weeks maybe. His clothes tattered and worn. It was cold. Where had he slept last night?

I may have made better choices than this homeless man but I was not “better…”

What happened next astounded me.

This man kept getting closer, and closer, and closer. I locked my doors convinced he was going to go to my passenger window and ask to speak to me. But instead he got right up my car and bent down. I was so confused.

What is he doing?

The next thing I knew he popped back up with a Whataburger drink lid. Watching out of the corner of my eye I witnessed this man picking up trash in the parking lot and slowly walking towards to trash can. He threw the trash away.

Feeling bad for thinking he was going to come to my car and try to talk to me, I exhaled and relaxed.

How many of us pick up random trash from the drive thru and put it away. We wouldn’t touch it. This man didn’t care. As he did this he was talking to someone that was not there. Several people I think. But he remained friendly and waved at others driving by.

As I drove off with my food I realized that I had seen that man as a soul.

He had a family. He had a mom and a dad. Maybe a wife he left behind? Any children? He was born somewhere, perhaps in a hospital or a home. He was raised somewhere. He had childhood memories. What kind I wonder? What happened for him to end up here?

What happened to his soul?

Sometimes I think we forget that people have souls.

Some of the people that are outkast, not “the perfect church type” and are not the highest members or have the biggest pocket books I have found to be some of the most beautiful souls.

It’s easier to call other crazy, or deranged, or insane when they have hurt us (although I do think that there is a thing as insanity) than to face to fact that people have souls and all people’s souls are divine. Where we spend divinity is the question.

I wonder if anyone has ever looked at him and said, “I see you soul…”

I wonder if we see each other bodies or each other’s souls.

Remember,

You are loved.
You are valuable.
You are useful.