He woke up today, his frail body was sore and aching from sleeping on the hard uncomfortable bus stop bench.. His brain pounded inside his head from the 12 pack he was able to inhale before passing out, the night before.. He was lost, he had no friends, family, loved ones.. No one knew his first name, he was truly alone.


She dropped out of school when she was 16. She thought she could live on her own. She searched for love everywhere she went. Her family had no interest in her, she tried alcohol, drugs, sex, she just wanted something, anything, to fill the void she had always felt. She wanted to do it alone, to live her own life her own way.. She tried it all, and gained nothing but pain, heartache, depression, and fear. Her life of searching had become a downward spiral to hell. She was scarred, she felt no one by her side.


We know him by his stench, by the reeking smell of alcohol and cigarettes on his breath, his clothes.. We know her from her scars, her bloodshot sleepless eyes. We don’t ask why.. We give them $5 and get out of sight. We drive by with locked doors, tinted windows and ignorant eyes. We make excuses and justify ourselves. We assume someone else will share love with them, our job description certainly wouldn’t include such extreme deeds. Why don’t we stop just for a minute, give them a sandwich, an encouraging word, anything to make them smile.. Just once.. Just a little grin..


What if your brother, sister, a cousin, any family member was lost, alone, and in need... What would you do? Could you carve a few moments from your day, or your week, just to say hello, to give them something to look forward to, a time where they can just forget the pain, forget the lack of love for a brief moment.. We may not be able to solve all of their problems in one visit, but we can be a sparkle of hope in their agony drenched lives.


The truth is, they are our family.. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s be a friend in the midst of the pain, be a light in the dark.. Let’s be love, where love was a distant and nearly forgotten memory. Let’s show compassion where grace seemed absent. Let’s evoke a smile, where only tears and fear once resided. Let’s make a dent in this love deprived world...