In her shoes....Have you ever followed her to the end of the road?

It was a cool evening and Cameron and I were just finishing a date and walking out the door when we heard the commotion. A young woman had entered the patio area of a restaurant and was asking the diners for money while they tried to finish their meal and continue their conversations. The waiter had no patience for the disturbance and quickly addressed her with a forcible removable onto the sidewalk. She was yelling that he was hurting her and screaming at him not to touch her. "I'm not a dog!! I'm not a dog! You can can't just push me!" She would very immediately return to the tables. Her petition for money was almost like a chant "give me money, give me change, give me money, I'm hungry, give me change." She would say this over and over without changing the tone in her voice until the waiter again took her by the arms to forcibly removed her. Again the screaming would return and she would continue to protest the treatment from the waiter. The scene repeated itself 2 times until a woman emerged from the kitchen and told the waiter something. He disappeared and then quickly returned with a loaf of bread and she was told to leave. As she walked away she continued yelling "I'm not a dog, you can't push me around, I'm not a dog (sobbing started) I'm not a dog, I'm not a dog (more sobbing)" Cameron had already purchased some juice and food for her and we quickly walked behind her to catch up to her. With a sharp right turn, she had entered the popular walking street of Vitosha and again began begging at tables for money. I told Cameron that I would like to follow her and see where her path ends. Many times we work with beggars but we never get to trace their steps. I was curious to see where her path lead...would the money be finally handed over to a man waiting at the end of the street? Would she walk into a nice apartment afterwards or go and buy liquor? We can all make assumptions about beggars but rarely do we have the opportunity to follow their steps to see where the begging ends. We followed her down the entire street and watched her look down at her change every couple of steps. She would then continue begging. Finally the begging stopped and she walked into a pharmacy and picked up a pack of pads for menstrual cycles. She asked the lady behind the counter how much they cost and then looked at her change and placed the pads back on the shelf. I quickly picked up enough pads for three months and purchased them as she walked out the door. We I caught up to her on a side street I handed her the bag. She was shocked. I told her that I had seen the situation at the restaurant and heard her scream that she was not a dog. I affirmed that indeed she was not a dog but rather she was made in the image of God and was beautiful. She was so loved by this God that He was meeting her needs now and showing His love to her through me. She began to cry and I opened my arms to her and we embraced as she buried her head into my shoulder. We talked longer and she said "I'm not a dog." I again affirmed her and said "You are not a dog, you are a beautiful daughter of a King. You are God's child and he does not make dogs." She smiled and we departed. Many times we never look at the path of the beggar's journey. Indeed sometimes the need they claim to have is false and other times a need is as simple as needing a sandwich or needing some pads. Don't look at the hands of the beggars, shake their hands and introduce yourselves. Don't look at the cup with the coins in it, look to fill their cup with the love of Christ by offering them His love in word and deed. Know the name of the person you pass and not just the stereotype because most of the time these individuals are hurting people who need to know they're not a dog but rather a person created in the image of God and given a life of purpose.