Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Guest Post: The Night Before Christmas

What can I say about the somewhat world famous KatDish that hasn't already been said by others? I describe her as "spicy", "salty" and "one of the women I would take into a bar fight". She makes me laugh with her "snort" and has touched my heart with her words. A couple of weeks ago I asked her to write a guest post on my blog. Eventually after some harassment and phone calls to some of her family, she sent me a post. I'm glad she did. Enjoy the guest post below from a talented blogger and one of my she-roes, KatDish.



Twas the night before Christmas and all thru the house

Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse

The shopping was done the bills had been paid

The guest list for tomorrow’s big feast had been made


The children were nestled all snug in their beds

While visions of ipods danced in their heads

But just miles away in my city I’m told

Is a man in an alley, desperate and cold


A part of me thinks he deserves what he got

He begs for the money for liquor and pot

But then I remember a time in my life

Before I had title of mother and wife

When days of good times and “casual use”

Turned into the nightmare of substance abuse


My attitude changed, I relent with a sigh

There but for the grace of God am I


I say a quick prayer and ask for forgiveness

For thinking these people are none of my business

I’ve labeled them homeless cause that fits my druthers

But they’re daughters and sons and sisters and brothers

Each has a story how they ended up there

And maybe they’d tell if I lent them my ear


All of these thoughts began flooding my head

As I pulled myself out of my comfortable bed

With coffee and blankets and family in tow

I drove through the streets till we got to Skid Row

We’re only one family we can’t help them all

Compared to their problems our efforts seem small

But I was determined at the very least

To have one extra guest at our Christmas day feast



Question: Would you or I be willing to change our plans to serve and love the people that Mother Teresa described as "Jesus in disguise"?

"The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved, they are Jesus in disguise." -- Mother Teresa

12 comments:

  1. Kathy, WONDERFUL. I'm always happy to see people thinking of the less fortunate this time of year. It's even better to get out and do something to make their lives better.

    Have a great Christmas, friend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow. This is beautiful, Kathy. And yes, challenging. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a beautiful post, Kathy! Thank you for sharing your heart!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the opportunity to post here, Mike. This didn't really happen, but is based on some expereinces our little church plant had with some men a couple of Christmases ago. One of the things I remember hearing was that they didn't want to be labeled as "THE Homeless". That they are individuals with their own stories. A blogger friend of mine, Koffijah once said, "How you see a person is half of how you love them." That really stuck with me. If you see a victim rather than a person, it changes how you love them. They become less real. Less important than you. That's not how Jesus loves. That's how I want to love, like Him.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Some of the homeless I've spent time with are a lot of fun, very interesting, and have great stories. Some are just down on their luck. A lost job here, a bad decision or two, and a tough path got chosen. Sometimes chosen for them.

    Some of the homeless I've spent time with are wacked out of their heads. They are mean, spiteful, and think everyone owes them everything.

    Therefore, ya know, the homeless I've spent time with are EXACTLY like all the people I've known in the church. Some are nice. Some are wacked. Some got a raw deal, and some deserve their raw deal.

    Just like me.

    And I have a lot of very well off friends, too. And they tend to fit the same descriptions.

    And all in all, I'd say a higher percentage of my rich friends feel like everyone owes them something than do my homeless friends.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great post Kat.

    And to be honest, I kinda missed the $10 challenge this year or hearing about what others did to help those in need.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Excellent. Thanks Kat (and Mike).

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks like my comment didn't get through the other day here but I basically said Great, great post. So true about the least among us. They can give more to us when we give to them. Terrific reminder for everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a beautiful post and the photo was awesome, of the person representing Jesus!

    ReplyDelete