Just a Pane

Just a pane separated us from him.

We were on the inside and he was on the outside. I’m not even sure why I noticed him. In the midst of enjoying lunch with Kelsey and Drew at HardRock Cafe, something about the form on the other side of the window drew my attention. It wasn’t his face as his back was turned toward us. It was something about his posture. A posture that seemed to say, “I’m beat down, I’m tired, I don’t have a place to be.”

Just a pane separated us from him.

I don’t think he was aware of us. His back was to us and he seemed to be staring straight ahead – out at the street from where he had just come. He was sitting at a table by himself, slowly sipping a drink through a straw – something that looked like Mountain Dew. Through the glass and the slats in the blinds I could see a few days growth of a beard. He sat with his head held slightly to the left. A slight slump defined his spine. It seemed he was trying to make his drink last as long as possible.

Just a pane separated us from him.

I never saw him served. I don’t know how he got his drink. I did see him get up and leave. He left no money and just walked into the street as if this was part of his normal routine. He wandered a ½ block, looked in a couple windows, then paused outside the entrance to a building. It seemed as if he was trying to decide if it was worth it to go in. As if some choice was being made. I don’t know if the other side of the door held the possibility for good or evil. For the hope of a kindness shared or the lure of an addiction. He made a choice and entered.

Just a pane separated us from him.

Lives so different. My life of being on “the inside” – a life of comfort, family and friends. His life on “the outside” – relying on resources to be provided, alone, tired. My life of hope….his life of despair. Separated by just a pane of glass.

Lord, forgive me for just looking through the glass and accepting that as normal. Help me look for opportunities and ways to shatter the glass – and then look into the eyes of the person on the other side, reach out, and spend time with them and serve them. Help me be more like Jesus…..and less like myself.