The Blessing of Friendship

I have a friend named Richard. If you live in Charlotte, and especially if you go to Elevation Matthews Campus, you've probably seen him before. He sits between the two gas stations on the corner of Independence and Highway 51. Many would stereotype him poor. He has no home, rarely any food, and no family in sight. My friend and I have had the privilege of buying him Bojangles on the weekend and the greater privilege of getting to know him and sharing in his struggles. 

With the failing economy, Richard lost his job about six months ago. He has since had to downgrade from an apartment, to a trailer, to a tent, and now to an abandoned house. He had to give up his two dogs when he lost his trailer, two of his best friends as any dog owner would know. He is very intelligent and you very well might see him devouring book after book hoping someone will stop with some food. He loves thriller and horror books, Steven King and Dean Koontz being his favorite authors. He can tell you the time based solely on where the shade is and can almost exactly predict the weather. More than anything else, Richard just likes having someone to talk to. You could imagine the same feeling after going day after day in solitude. 

The poor are no longer just another struggling face to me, a common sight in today's world. They have a story, struggles, likes, and interests just like the rest of us. They are an individual made in the image and likeness of God, loved beyond belief. 

Richard is not poor in my eyes. We are the ones who are poor. He is greater in wisdom and overcoming obstacles than most of us. While he may not have many possessions and struggles to just get a meal a day, he is by far richer in ways that we could never understand, like his gratitude and humbleness. In ways that the we are too busy to stop and see, or even care for. 

I began this journey hoping to change other's lives for the better, but the fact is Richard and people like him are changing mine. The homeless are grateful for your food donations, don't get me wrong. But when we settle for just feeding the homeless we miss out on a whole larger blessing, the blessing of friendship.