In my errand run I did the unthinkable and wore a shirt I didn’t iron first nor did I don a hat to hide my rat nest hair day. It wasn’t important if I was going through a car wash. While my car idled under the water jets I remembered I still had another stop to make. The public was just going to have to suffer my outward assault on decorum.
Once at the local store, I saw a couple people standing outside the entryway. Instantly I lost track of my appearance and focused on what I was seeing. An elderly woman seemed to be concerned with the circumstance of a man who was asking for spare change. I too got out my wallet to offer him what change I had and asked him if he was hungry. He shared it’d been a couple days since he’d last eaten. I had him come inside the store with me to get some food.
Meeting great people in not so great circumstances is a delicate matter. What I say to them and how I treat them makes a difference. Not wanting to shame him, I tried to gently draw him into casual conversation while we got some items to nourish his immediate needs. Once outside I was sensitive to offer, but not insist, to pray with him and I was delighted he wanted me to do that.
I shared with him the love I have been given, and to my surprise he leaned down to kiss me on the cheek and thanked me. It was so sweet I knew I had been kissed by a gentleman and a prince.