Go Beyond

Whenever the weather turns cold in Houston my thoughts especially turn to the homeless and transients who pass through our city. These are the folks who live in the shadows of our peripheral world. They are easy to overlook and even easier to judge. Those of us who live in comfortable homes have no idea about the challenges these unfortunate human beings face from hour to hour, especially when the weather turns bad. Earlier this week, a woman driving a 1980’s-era Mercury Monarch pulled into our parking lot. Doyle, our Executive Pastor, was the first to meet her. This sixty-something year old woman walked in to our offices bundled in a blue down jacket. Before she even said a single word, her longing eyes and woeful countenance spoke for her. She needed assistance. And, she asked for prayer. After spending some time visiting with her, Doyle called and asked me to join them. We deal with lots of folks in need of assistance every week, but there was something about this woman named Jeri that touched us both.

Doyle and I agreed that we needed to help Jeri. So, we asked her to follow us to the gas station down the street where we filled up her car and bought her a pre-paid gas card. Then, we secured a room for her at one of our local motels and gave her money for meals. Jeri quietly expressed her gratitude for these simple acts of kindness. As we prepared to leave, I watched as she walked slowly and deliberately to her car. I glanced down to look at the condition of the tires on her car and then inside where she carried the scraps of her existence from place to place. As Doyle and I drove away my heart was filled with sadness for this woman who seemed to be covered and draped in a pall of loneliness. We will likely never know the rest of the story or whether she arrived at her destination. All we know is that for a brief slice of time our paths crossed and we had to make a decision about whether to help this woman who came into our offices out of the cold. Could this have been Jesus in the distressing disguise of the poor?

Meeting Jeri reminded me of a particular poem I had written in the Winter of 1972 when I was in high school. The poem was inspired by an old woman I had seen walking alone on a cold day when I was driving to school. While at a stop light, the woman turned to look at me as she crossed the street. Her gaze was penetrating and her steps were slow and measured. I entitled the poem “The Woman of Time.” I remember sharing the poem with my beautiful Mom and telling her about the woman who had inspired me to write it. Mom loved it and, as she always did, encouraged me to keep writing. This is what I wrote about the woman who I saw that winter of my high school years.

The woman was old and ragged and gray,
as I saw her walking that cold, rainy day.
She was dressed very poorly in a long coat of black,
that did not even look like it held the cold back.

Her walk was a slow one of a careful pace,
and the passing of time had wrinkled her face.
She looked kindly to all those who passed her by,
and I wondered who’d miss her the day she would die.

I thought of my mother who would one day be old,
and I prayed she would never have to walk in the cold.
And on walked this woman — old, ragged, and gray,
taking with her the knowledge of another day.

Doyle asked Jeri why she had come to Kingsland seeking help. Jeri said that she had stopped by a gas station in the area and that the clerk said to her, “If you are looking for help, I know that the people at Kingsland will help you.” I was so glad to hear that someone who works in our community pointed Jeri in our direction. May we always be known as a place where people like Jeri can come out of the cold to experience a little warmth and kindness and love.

On January 7, I posted a blog entitled Bigger-Picture People. Over the past thirty-two years in full-time vocational ministry, I have made it a point to look for and befriend bigger-picture people. Bigger-picture people are the kind of people who turn barricades into bridges and lemons into lemonade! They are the people who are able to joyfully and patiently endure difficult circumstances because they see the bigger picture of how their circumstances fit into the scheme of God’s long-term work. They are people who have a remarkable ability to persist under extreme pressures because their commitment to the bigger picture strengthens their resolve to keep on keeping on. These are people who see their circumstances as God-given opportunities for the advancement of the gospel and development of their character. These are the kind of people who rejoice at what God is going to do instead of complaining about what God did not do. Their lives command respect, dispense encouragement, and are worthy of imitation.

St. Paul in Prison | Rembrandt

One of the distinguishing marks of “Bigger-Picture People” is their ability to see and know that God is at work even in the midst of difficult circumstances. They are people who have learned to trust God with their circumstances, knowing that circumstances can be the raw materials of their greatest discoveries about God. They are people who realize that God is able to use both the sorrows and successes of life in the communication of the gospel and the development of their character. Without question, the Apostle Paul holds a place of honor in the ranks of “Bigger-Picture People.” In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul discussed his circumstances — “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,” (1:12). He did not complain about his circumstances nor give many details about his imprisonment. His greatest concern was the gospel and its advance. There is a resounding note of optimism in what he writes:

“I wish you to know (come to know, learn, or understand) brothers (fellow believers who are members of the same spiritual family by faith in Christ) that my circumstances (that is, recent developments in his case) have turned out rather (in contrast to what might be expected) unto the advancement of the gospel.”

Even though Paul was a prisoner, his imprisonment did not end his missionary activity but rather expanded it for himself and for others. His circumstances turned out for the greater progress or advancement of the gospel. The Greek word for advancement is prokope, a word used to describe the progress of an army or expedition. This word referred to the cutting away of trees and undergrowth and the removal of any barriers that might hinder the progress of an army. Paul’s imprisonment, rather than shutting the door, opened a door to new opportunities for him. His circumstances cleared the way for the gospel to advance into new areas.

One of Paul’s greatest desires was to preach the gospel in Rome (see Acts 19:21 and Romans 1:15). He wanted to go there as a preacher but instead went as a prisoner. Yet, it was as a prisoner that he had the marvelous opportunity to introduce the gospel to people and into places he could not have reached in other ways. Someone wisely noted, “Severe obstacles can become divine opportunities.” Warren Wiersbe, one of my favorite writers, wrote that “God sometimes uses strange tools to help us pioneer the gospel.” And indeed Paul’s circumstances turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. “The same God who used Moses’ rod, Gideon’s pitchers, and David’s sling,” wrote Wiersbe, “used Paul’s chains.” In Psalm 119:91b the Psalmist declared, “For all things are Thy servants.” And what a noble purpose was served by Paul’s chains. The next time you find yourself “under the circumstances” or facing unexpected challenges, don’t get discouraged. Instead, face them with the courage, insight, and resolve of bigger-picture people. By doing so, your circumstances might also turn out for the greater progress of the gospel.