Are you a SHEEP or a GOAT? Read to find out which one you are!

You are in your warm, cozy car on a rainy, chilly spring day.  As you approach a stoplight in downtown Kansas City you see him.  Nameless. He is "working" the corner of 47th and Main and is wearing old, dirty clothes.  Hopeless. He is holding up a cardboard sign that reads, "Need money for bus fare." Homeless.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Would you silently wish the light turns green so you can avoid him at all costs? After all, he's probably an addict of some kind, right?  Surely he has brought this on himself.  Ever had these thoughts cross your mind?  I sure have.  I remember even as a young girl being told by adults in my life to never give money to a homeless person because more often than not they'll go buy beer or drugs w/ it.  So I grew up, lived on the Plaza for several years as a young adult and many times I ignored the person standing next to my window or outside of Barnes and Nobles.  I wouldn't look them in the eyes but would stare straight ahead, anxious to see that light turn so I could just get the heck outta dodge. 

BUT NOT ANYMORE.

Let's think about what Christ would do in this situation.  Let's just pretend He was sitting in the passenger seat.  He doesn't say a word, but rather, gives you the opportunity to make your choice.  Would you squirm uncomfortably?  Would you defend your lack of action?  Would you not feel guilty at all because you are confident in your opinion? Or would you feel so under conviction that you can hardly roll down your window fast enough?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?  I mean...REALLY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Wanna know what I did this week?  I praised God that I had some cash in my purse, as I rarely carry any on me.  I praised God that I was able to have this encounter w/ a fellow human being and have the opportunity to share with him. I refused to IGNORE.



I only had $5, but I rolled my window down and waved at him.  He came to me and barely got there in time before the light turned green...there were several cars ahead of me and behind me.  He looked me in the eyes, was gracious, thankful, and polite.  I started pulling forward and was so excited when the light turned red again and I was once again "stuck" at 47th and Main.  I rolled my window down and Nameless approached my car once again.  I was able to look him in the eyes and tell him that he was valued and cherished by a loving Savior who is the living water and the Bread of Life. If he goes and buys something OTHER THAN a bus ticket?...well, that's between him and God.  I can only be responsible for ME.

I drove away and prayed for him and the homeless all around the world, that they would hear this message...(and I wept as my Ghanaian friend Abraham came to mind).  I am not blogging this to receive any praise, for I am ashamed to say that many times this was NOT my story..but its never too late to change.

 

So back to my title...are you a sheep or a goat?  Confused yet?  Read this passage straight from Matthew 25 to find out your answer.


 ^31-33"When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.  ^34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

   I was hungry and you fed me,
   I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
   I was homeless and you gave me a room,
   I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
   I was sick and you stopped to visit,
   I was in prison and you came to me.'
 ^37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'
 ^41-43"Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

   I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
   I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
   I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
   I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
   Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'
 ⁴⁴"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'
 ⁴⁵"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'

So what are YOU going to be the next time you are faced in the same situation?  A sheep or a goat?  What do you want your children to see you do?  As for my kids...I want them to see a woman who has RECKLESS COMPASSION, than maybe they, too, will grow up knowing the Nameless, sharing Hope to the Hopeless, and yes, even buy some bus fare for the Homeless.

AND TO ALL THE SKEPTICS OUT THERE I HAVE ONE THING TO SAY TO YOU:

"Baaaaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaaaa".  (Ok, so I just realized sheep and goats kinda sound the same so just to clear up any confusion that was my SHEEP sound, K?)

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Blanket Tents Make my Cup Runneth Over

There is something magical about blanket-made tents when you are a kid.  I had forgotten how fun it was until I became a momma.  What can be more fun than taking every pillow in the house and piling them up? Finding the largest blanket? Digging around Daddy's stuff for the flashlight? Inviting your favorite stuffed animals to join in the fun? And last but not least, screeching, "NO BOYS ALLOWED IN HERE!" in between giggles? I've done a lot of cool stuff in my lifetime, but sitting under that blanket, flashlight in tow, and a bright-eyed girl who makes my world go round I thought to myself, "There is no other place I'd rather be than right here, right now." Yep, there's no doubt about it, my cup runneth over.

Banana's, Bugs, Bad Food and BFF's

Ok, so MAYBE I might have over-reacted just a TAD...but I'd rather err on the safe side, right? How am I supposed to know what an allergic reaction looks like? I've really got to calm down when it comes to bug bites. I promise I don't have a phobia. I'm not afraid of bugs or them biting or stinging or even crawling on me. I'm a girl who loves nature and all it has to offer. We live in the country so critters are constantly making an appearance and not only am I not afraid of them, I welcome it! So you'd think by now I wouldn't respond so impulsively to bug bites. Let me back up.

Last summer, when Sam was just a few months old, I went to change his diaper and low and behold I saw, what to me, looked like the most horrifying sight. A certain part of his anatomy (let's just call it his doo-dah-day for the sake of not offending anyone out there) was extremely red and swollen and I thought he MUST have some horrible disease!!! So I rushed him to Children's Mercy Urgent Care. I remember the doctor coming in, taking a peek, looking at me very seriously and saying that Sam DID have a “condition”...(you've no idea the thoughts running through my mind)...and his “condition” had a name...(I was sitting at the edge of my chair waiting to hear the verdict...the pause was very dramatic and I remember saying, “Just spit it out! What is wrong w/ my son???”) ...and the doctor, straight faced and serious toned says, “Samuel has 'Summer Penile Syndrome'”. I gasped. “OH NO...WHAT DOES THIS MEAN???” Then w/ a smirk he told me...”It's a chigger bite.” I think I laughed the entire drive home. That was an expensive $50 diagnosis. All for a chigger bite. For the record, that IS a real name for it.

Fast forward to today. Charlee and I decided to take a quick trip to the store. We needed banana's. I swear my kids are part monkey because we eat about 10 every 4 days. Anyway, on the way there I looked at her in my rear view mirror and notice and funny looking bump on her cheek. By the time we got to the store, it wasn't just a bump...it was a VERY LARGE bump that seemed to be growing before my very eyes. And then another one appeared on the other cheek...and then her ear started to swell. I kept asking her if something stung or bit her, but she just shook her head 'no'. By the time we were in the check-out line, I was getting nervous. Her face was swelling FAST...and it wasn't pretty, peeps. I couldn't imagine something stinging her and her not crying, but what else would make her swell like this? Thus began my drama. By the time I pulled into the Walgreens (urgent care) parking lot, I was convinced it had to be a brown recluse spider bite. Her face was red, swollen, and she was saying “Ouchy”.

30 Minutes later we were in to see the nurse practitioner and she was looking better. As quickly as it appeared it was now fading away. Strangest thing. It wasn't a sting and it wasn't a brown recluse spider bite...so who knows? But I hope I can chill out whenever I see bug bites on my kids. Sheesh.

To celebrate the fact that she still has a face w/out flesh eating spider bites, we hit the McDonald's down the street. What is it about McD's fries w/ ice-cream? I know I've been eating “clean” now for months and I always say I don't miss the “bad” food...but wow, that tasted soooooooooooooooo awesome. And you know what else? We had a pretty fun time, just us gals. I love that kid.

Of course, since we were in the neighborhood we popped by Nana's house and then her BFF's house, too. I got to hear her squeal w/ delight as she ran around w/ flushed cheeks. What a great night...all because we needed some banana's.