I’ve been playing hide-and-seek with a homeless man for weeks!
My friend’s exasperation came out in heavy puffs of steam as she spoke, sighed and tried to catch her breath. I was freezing and had basically forced my friend to run around as we scoured downtown Boise. We had traversed streets, alleys, stairwells and any other nook that a person trying to avoid the weather might tuck into.
Snow had been falling for quite some time. It was beginning to erase the smaller, easily hid features of the city. I, like a genius was wearing my gray canvas Toms. They don’t keep moisture out and can’t keep heat in. I was afraid that much more time in the city and its snow would cost me a toe or two.
We rounded another corner and entered a long, tiled hallway. Bright lights glared at us from the many storefronts contained in our ceramic cavern. I was grateful to be out of the snow, even for a minute. I pulled my glasses off my face, unzipped my coat and began wiping the moisture from my lenses with my shirt. We scampered to the other side without encountering another person, much less the Renegade we desired to see.
My hands hid in my gloves. My friend had tucked her right hand up into her sleeve. Her left protruded from her jacket with white knuckles clenched around a Walmart grocery bag. It contained a large winter coat she had purchased for a homeless man she had repeatedly seen downtown. Now that he needed it the most, he had made himself invisible. This was her third attempt at delivering her gift to the man who could not be found. I was along for the ride and to make sure that she didn’t have to talk to a strange man all by herself.
RE-NE-GADE! Where are you?
She laughed halfway through yelling. He was probably at the shelter. It opened earlier in the winter to get people out of the cold. They wouldn’t let her give her gift specifically to this man though, as the shelter liked to dole out necessities and place requirements on those at the receiving end. I was alright with this, but my friend desperately desired to make this gift personal. It was her fancy to have this man to know that somebody cared for him. She wanted him know that Jesus loves him.
We ran around until my dejected friend had to go to work. The Walmart bag landed in the back seat, where it would stay until her next expedition into downtown Boise. Driving back, we prayed for our homeless man. We made declarations of his safety, health and most importantly, his salvation before she dropped me off at my car.
Somewhere out there, a man who calls himself Renegade needs a coat. He has one waiting for him. He has a girl who cares deeply about him, who has made several attempts to help him and funny enough, he doesn’t even know it. How much more is he loved by the God who created Him? How much less aware is he of the Providence that gave him life, the Providence that’s currently using my friend as a source of provision?
Eventually, Renegade will be discovered.
He’s going to get a lot more than a coat when that happens.
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Great story brother! Loving the Love that went into it and the act of trying to find him on the streets!
I'll pray that your friend does find Renegade and that he will know how much he is loved. I'm cold just reading that post. I'd never make it in Idaho.
She does need to find him. She's the kind of girl though who enjoys playing hide and seek on a city-wide scale, it's just a leeetle on the important side that she gets his coat to him. As per Idaho…. I'm still trying to figure out if I can make it here…..
Wow, the parallels I see between your story and God's grace are astounding. He has gifts and provision for us. He's looking for us and many times we don't even know it until He shows up and offers us what He brought. Praying for this man and your friend–God has great things in store.
Thanks Jake.
Jason, you just gave my story so much more depth… I mean- Of course, that's how it was planned. The great thing was that none of this was my idea, I just got to go along for the ride and see somebody's heart trying to do exactly what God wants her to to. It's one of the great things about my friends and my community, this sort of thing isn't uncommon!
Good for you and your friend, it's one thing to talk about being a Christian and quite another to show with your actions the love and compassion to the world of your faith. Well done, and maybe some better pants for the next round of "hide and go seek"!
Floyd, my church has been great at reminding us we're Christians ALL the time. I'm incredibly grateful for the effort and "education" we receive from our leadership as this kind of behavior is commonplace in my community (see response to Jason). AND yeah, I'm terrible at dressing for winter. I don't like feeling like that kid from "A Christmas Story" for some reason….
What a wonderful church you belong to. Honestly I haven't been down town to help those kind of people in a couple of years. Thanks for the reminder.
Maybe you have some bad memories from a BB gun? (You'll shoot your eye out kid!)
I wish I had bad memories of a BB gun. My parents NEVER let me own a gun!
Awesome. 🙂 Is it okay if I laughed throughout this post?
My imagination ran wild.
You and Sarah are two of my favorite people. I have been secretly wondering if this story would wind up here. That was fun to read!
Glover. You MUST know by now that EVERYTHING ends up on here. 🙂 We both think pretty highly of you too… even if I did insult you tonight!
first of all your the one who doesn't wear gloves sir…well until now….second I'm out of shape don't judge me, how do you walk so fast!!?!?!…and third he's not getting love and compassion when I find him, he's getting the third degree "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!? YOU ASKED ME FOR A COAT NOW YOU JUST DISAPPEAR?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! Now take you're coat and get out of my sight." JK about the last part, but I really am giving him a hard time when we find him…it better not be in the summer time…
I should have included that I was equally winded. Sarah, I walk fast because I'm 5'7" and have been surrounded myself with giants. Annoyingly large people comprise my people group. It's super unfortunate. You'll find him. It'll be good.
Sarah Jane !
you just made me cry. Thanks a lot. You two are amazing!
I love that I sent you a direct message and included a threat in it and now your sister's goodness to a homeless man is also impacting you. You get the full gamut with us, don't you?
New Years Resolution: read Jake Lee's blog weekly. love this one.
Oh, friend! Good. You can tell me all the things I’ve done wrong. Now for those lyrics….
Yeah. It does make you wonder how Christ feels as we flail about.
Kim, It’s true, and certainly interesting when we consider Matthew 25:36, “I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
I just hope that we can “Clothe Christ” while he still needs it. Spring is around the corner and summer isn’t far behind.
Thanks for stopping by!
Searching for Renegade, calling out his name…your outing tells a story of love, compassion and concern.
So glad to get to know you better through TheHighCalling.org.
Wherever he is, I hope he’s warm. And I hope he one day realizes how much he’s loved.
Ann, thanks for stopping by! It’s funny- friends claim to have seen Renegade in various places, but neither Sarah nor I can find him when we’re in town with his coat. It’s incredibly unfortunate, but SOMEDAY soon, he will have his coat.
I can’t read this without thinking about how God pursues us. Searches in the snow and cold and down and around hallways and sometimes we don’t even realize that God is right behind us – seeking us out.
Deidra, just imagine when he cries out to God, whether it’s him doing it in faith, desperation or even anger because of his situation. God’s provision (via, my friend) literally has been hunting for him and for some ridiculous reason, can’t seem to find him. Thanks for stopping by!
I’m inspired by your act of love and courage.
I scrolled up to see the date of the post: Jan. 10. It’s almost a month later now. Do you know? Has Renegade been found?
I’m praying he is found .. in all the important ways.
– Jennifer Dukes Lee
Contributing Editor @ TheHighCalling.org
Jennifer, I have wonderful friends who love to serve others. It’s in our culture to reach out like this, and it’s founded in our faith, so I can’t even say that this was anything that came from me, at all. Unfortunately, we haven’t found him. I literally have had people call me while I’m at work to tell me that they found him, but the timing hasn’t worked out yet. It’s incredibly unfortunate, BUT, he will be found!
Thanks Jennifer!
I love this. It says something about God I think we don’t often consider, how we can be doing our own thing and completely miss what He might be trying to give us.
Kelly, I love that I have people in my life that are like this. They push me along in my own faith as well as the works that should follow it.
I caught up with Renegade in BoDo today!