Christmas Card Picture and Letter

One afternoon this past summer, the girls and I were pulling out of Wal-Mart. There was a homeless man sitting near the road. Leightyn noticed him and very quickly began asking questions “Who was he? Where is his home? What does he eat? What if it rains tonight? Where does he take a bath? Why doesn’t he have a family? Where would he sleep? What if he got cold?”.

Leightyn told me over and over that we needed to pull in to McDonalds and “get that man some food!” So, I did. I ordered a big bag of food. Leightyn was so happy that he was going to have something to eat tonight. As we handed the man his food, he told us “God bless us, My Jesus saves, Do you know my Jesus?”. We talked for a few seconds before getting in the car and going home.

Although we gave the man some food, Leightyn still was not satisfied. She wanted to know if we could bring him to our house and let him play in the bathtub. She wanted to let him take a nap in her bed. Leightyn brought me her rain boots and umbrella and begged me to take them to the man.

This man made a huge impression on little Leightyn. Every time we drove by the Wal-mart parking lot, Leightyn would start asking questions. “Where was he now? Did some people take him home? Did he get to take a bath? Was he still lost?”

Christian artist, Brandon Heath has written a song that clearly explains how Leightyn saw this homeless man through the eyes of Christ. "Give me your eyes for just one second, Give me your eyes so i can see, Everything that i keep missing, Give me your love for humanity, Give me your arms for the broken hearted, the ones that are far beyond my reach, Give me your heart for the one's forgotten, Give me your eyes so i can see "

So, here is our challenge. Well, Leightyn’s challenge to you. This next year, we challenge you to look for situations where you can serve someone…anyone. A neighbor, a friend, a family member, or maybe a stranger on the street. Ask God to give you eyes that seek out ways to serve. Look for a way to meet the needs of others. Do it in Jesus’ name and in memory of Leightyn. Just think of it as Leightyn’s Christmas present from you.

Will you accept Leightyn’s challenge?

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Matthew 6:3-4

If you wish to share how you meet someone’s needs, we would love to hear about it! Email us your story at leightynslifesong@yahoo.com