I have always lived near big cities and during college, went to school down town. As a result, I have often been in the position Randall describes- do I reach out? What if that person is crazy, or dirty, or high, or scary? It's outside of our comfort zone and outside of our convenience. It's also outside our natural self-preservation. Sometimes I would carry $5 Subway gift cards in my bag. I would carry extra subway tokens. If I brought a granola bar for breakfast, I would pack two. I thought myself a genius- here at last I could give without the burden of actually talking to people. #probably not what Jesus had in mind. One particular day, I had absolutely nothing on me, but classes were over and I had no where to be and no excuse to rush off. So when a homeless man missing part of his leg hopped over to me (literally hopped- he had one leg, I am not making fun of him), I pointed at the Subway just 5 feet away. "Should we get lunch?" I asked. We did. He told me about losing his leg, but not being able to prove disability so he was jobless and then homeless. He fell through the cracks of society. That lunch changed a lot of things for me. I never saw him again, but I saw those around me differently. Some were high, dirty, and crazy. But they were all just people who had stories too,
When did you go outside your comfort zone and how did that change your perspective? If it was recent, what prompted you? If it was long ago, like my subway lunch, look back on it. How has the course of your life changed because of that one incident?