Hugging God

One busy day as I stopped at a McDonalds for lunch I saw that a homeless man was sitting at the entrance…as I approached the door he ask if I would give him some change…I said “No, but I will buy you lunch if you want?” To my surprise he jumped up from the ground and followed me into the completely packed out restaurant. I ask what he wanted and he said…in a voice that was just a little too loud… “I’ll just have whatever you’re having.” I placed our order and when it arrived I handed him his tray and turned to walk away…and then I heard him say “Aren’t you gonna eat with me?”

Now you have to understand this man had the smell of days old booze and urine. His long beard had a few things tucked in it. I did not look closely because I was afraid to actually figure out what was in there. And his breath traveled with a force of its own. But what could I say…if nothing else the entire restaurant, while I am sure they were wishing he would leave, seemed to go silent while awaiting my answer…I said “Well sure.”

We found a place and he began to talk…a little too loudly. He started telling me a story about his mother and how she had finally taken his guitar away from him…I could not surmise if he meant recently or if this was some incident from earlier in his life. He sort of rambled on with other stories…pretty much the same stories that you here from many people like this that have been lost in the shuffle of life…they once had it together…something happened…never could put things back together…and here they are.

Somewhere along the line I stopped trying to decide if he was telling the truth…I stopped trying to makes sense of his story…I stopped worrying about all the things he should be doing or not doing...he should get a job or he should stop drinking or he should at least get a bath...instead I managed to turn off all my "shoulds" and just listen.

He would look me right in the eyes as if we were old friends…like we had talked many times…I tried hard to stay with him in the conversation so I could nod or laugh or sigh appropriately. And since every time I tried to take a bite of my burger the smell of his breath would hit me in the face I became a good listener with nothing else to distract me.

After awhile I told him I had to go back to work…he looked disappointed…he thanked me for the lunch…I got up to go and in his little to loud voice he said…. “Hey” I turned and looked at him… and he asked “Can I ask you one more thing?” I said “Sure”. What followed would affect me for the rest of my life… he continued... “I know this is kinda weird…but…could...could you…give me a hug?” Now, at the height of lunch hour, there is a stunned silence in the restaurant…the place is still…it took a moment for my mind to absorb what he had just ask.. then, somewhat awkwardly, I reached down...put my arms around him...placed my face next to his...I forgot about the smell…the filth…what might be in his beard......he pulled me close...and held on….and on...it was a moment...one I cannot describe with words. Finally, as I pulled away I looked directly at him…tears were streaming down his face…running over his beard…he sat...almost helplessly in his chair...just looking up at me….and then he said this "You know…sometimes… I…I… need….I just need somebody to hug me.” And the world seem to stop.

As I think back on that day it occurs to me that I have never done anything more God-like in my entire life…I never saw that man again. Which was unusual because the homeless characters seem to stake out places for awhile….but this was different…that man was there more for me...not me for him... I had supernaturally stepped into the smell...the filth ...the confusion...and there...in a most unlikely moment...I hugged God.

Give and it will be given to you...
Jesus