Last Friday, I was alone at my office much later than I normally would be. Having spent the day leisurely enjoying my family, I got in late, took a long lunch with my favorite son (ok, my only son), and ended up staying at my desk longer than normal. At around 6pm, over the top of my right computer monitor, I saw a man’s head through my security screen door. I stood up to get a better look. This man was at my back door, which was closed and locked, and he didn’t know that just around the corner, there was another door, which was unlocked, and the security screen there was wide open. This guy looked rough. Wearing only shorts on this 100 degree summer afternoon, he was carrying a brown 40oz bottle of some type of beer in one hand, and a skateboard in the other. I kept my eye on him, and casually walked across the room to close and lock the other security screen and door.
When I came back to my desk, I couldn’t see him, so I assumed he went on down the road. I sat down and began to work again. And then I heard the water spigot turn on out front. I have had trouble with people trying to bathe in my outdoor faucets, and didn’t want this gentleman to be out front on the main street of my town, bathing himself in front of my office! I opened the door, and the security screen and peeked my head out. I asked, “Can I help you?” He responded, “I am just trying to get some water.” I said, “Okay,” and went back in the office, closing and locking the doors behind me. Once safely inside, I returned to work, honestly a little irritated at the guy, both for interrupting my work and for freeloading on my water.
It was about ten minutes later that it struck me that he was running the water to wait for it to get cold, and then he was filling up that empty beer bottle up with water from my outdoor spigot. He was hot, he was walking, and that was the only vessel he had available to him. Meanwhile, I had a water dispenser full of cold water, cups, and even lids and straws. I had a refrigerator with iced cold fruit juice and sparkling water inside. And I didn’t offer him any of it. I immediately felt bad, and peeked outside to see if he was still around, but he was gone. Of course, it was late and I was at the office alone, and I would be a fool to not make sure of my safety, but once I realized he was not a threat, he was just thirsty, the kind thing to do would have been to offer this man a cup of cold water to send him on his way.
That evening, while I was sitting in my prayer corner, the situation came back to me and I felt terrible all over again. And then it occurred to me – how many people do I encounter on a daily basis that are looking for water? Not the water that comes from the spigot outside of my office door, but the water that Jesus talked about in John chapter 4.
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. ~ John 4:10
Surely, there are people I meet daily that are thirsty for a better life, thirsty for something different. But maybe they don’t look thirsty, or perhaps they look a little rough. Perhaps I am too busy thinking about myself, my safety, my water bill, my reputation, or my schedule to even notice their thirst. But I didn’t have to notice this man’s thirst, he told me of his thirst, and still I failed to offer him a cup of water.
I know this was just a man who was thirsty on a hot day, and it wasn’t some spiritual event, but it was an eye opener for me. I want to be aware of the needs of others and I want to meet them if I have it in my power to do so. I want to spread love and sow good things in my community. I want to see beyond the exterior of a person, and I want to see the full picture and not judge a situation based on my initial observation. I want to be kind. I want to do better. I want to be better.
Uncommonly Common Mom 