Pic of Hassan Selah from Unsplash.com
Do you remember that catchy bold song
‘One of Us’by Joanne Osborne?
It’s a beautiful song, with the premise of God been in one of us or rather in all of us. What if God was in all of us from the stranger on a bus to you?
Well, when I first heard the song I was a kid and although I loved and sang along the essence of the message wasn’t as clear as it it now that I’m an adult.
Fast forward to a few years back when I found myself in a very difficult position in life where the lyrics of the song resurrected in me through a conversation that changed the way I look at others.
I was in a new town after moving with my then baby daddy to be. After having a stillborn which was a traumatic experience, my baby daddy ghosted me leaving me alone in a hospital bed. Things had literally turned sour, at the worst moment I needed help. With no money to my name and no contacts I hit a new low. Homelessness was on the horizon.
After being discharged on Friday afternoon. I packed my stuff like I was going home only to sign out and let the hospital aide leave me in the lobby. I had laid in bed for days, numb all over yet feeling an intense excruciating pain all over me. I was a total loser. My baby was dead, the bad relationship I was clinging to was now non existent, my memory was exiting slowly but surely.
For the first time I felt my sanity drifting away — helpless. As much as I tried to reel it back, my hands felt too short to reach it. My spirit felt weak to rise and glue it back to me
I felt alone and scared.
The only person I could talk to was my dead son. The hospital staff were kind enough to let me see him as often as I could. I held him tightly in my shaking hands close to my warm heart trying to neutralize his cold body and hoping he would come alive. I told him how much I loved him and how we would meet some day in another space. I told him that he was going to share a coffin with another little angel like him. Coffin sharing was a program the Chaplain offered for parents like me who couldn’t afford a normal two thousand dollar burial.
My doctor had gave me a prescription for depression medicine which I tore up. Depression? Who? Me?
Clearly I was in denial. The truth is hard to swallow. Anyways since I had no home to return to I decided to lounge around the hospital lobby. My body was weak — so weak that the minute I took a step out of the wheelchair I almost sloppily hit the floor. I was a mess.
I sat in the lobby dosing off when I could, and then pretending to be waiting for a loved one. I got a free meal from an unsuspecting guest who felt compelled to bless me with a baconator burger from Wendy’s. My pride almost refused for me to accept the meal, but my empty growling belly desperately needed it.
As I sat in the lobby I noticed there were other bench mates who seemed to be crushing in there like I was. There was one particular man who had been looking at me hoping I’d say something to him. My eyes refused to meet his, somehow I felt I was too good to even talk to him. How the hell was I even in a snobby mode when there was a possibility of us being in the same club — homeless?
The weekend finally got away and the new security guard came in with a severe case of Monday blues. He wasn’t playing. As soon as he came through he started to spew his cold temper all over the place. My lobby mate was the first to be attacked
I need for you to leave now. What do you think this is? A hotel for homeless people? Take your black…. out of here before I call the law on you…
My lobby mate stood out of his warm chair, shocked at the rude treatment and mumbled a few words before he involuntarily exited the building bracing the other cold — outside.
Shocked at how rude the guard had been I decided to slowly get out of there as well before he got to me.
Walking out of the building I saw my lobby mate sitting outside mumbling to himself in disbelief. Sympathizing with him, I went up to him and started a conversation
I’m sorry you had to go through such rude treatment from that guard. …
All of a sudden my stuck up self got humble enough to finally share words with my lobby mate. He told me how he was a war veteran showing me his identification, how he had fell on hard times and lost his home, and was on a waiting list for a homeless shelter. I later found out he was telling the truth because I had tried to get a place myself and because of the cold months in the DMV area it can be hard to get a spot
Anyways we talked for a while. He appreciated me listening and showing care and although I was going through my own situation it made me feel better that I wasn’t the only one out there in a bad position.
He then asked an important question?
What if God was one of us? That security guard and others like him would be throwing away opportunities to serve Him. They’d be superficially scanning people based on how homeless they looked.
The good old song resurrected in me.
What if this was true?
What if God was in all of us?
From me, my lobby mate to the security guard.
What if we looked at each other and sought to see the God in us
After the loaded question he reached his pocket and handed me a twenty dollar bill which he said the spirit told him to.
We should always know that God is closer than we think
He said
After he said that I didn’t even see him, he had disappeared so fast.
What if he was an angel and looked like a vagabond?
This lesson taught me to never let the spirit of judgement (which most of us have) come in the way of experiencing God, of seeking Him in others. And that twenty dollars came in handy too.
So the next time you want to tilt your nose at someone refuse to miss an opportunity to see God. Humble yourself and open your heart because you never know. God is closer than we think.
