Ray is invited to Alcoholics Anonymous

I was walking through downtown Elgin, Illinois one late evening, as Ray, to my presentation. From out of a nearby storefront, a stranger appeared. He was unshaven, poorly dressed and smelled of the streets. He approached me, put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Brother, where are you staying tonight?” I was dumbfounded. Caught off guard by his assertiveness and his obvious compassion, I quickly replied that I didn’t know. He asked me to walk with him awhile. After some silence he said, “I’m going to be honest with you. I’m going to an AA meeting.” He told me that AA stood for Alcoholics Anonymous and was a support group for people with a drinking problem. He then shockingly said to me, “I think you should come with me.” He went on to tell me that I could get a warm cup of coffee, and there would be people there who understood me and could help. For a moment, I wondered if he was Jesus who had returned for judgment. I thanked him for his kindness and told him that I had somewhere I had to go. I will never know if this man was religious but he was certainly living with a gospel behavior. He left an indelible impression upon me. “Brother, where are you staying tonight?” Who really is our neighbor? For this street person, I was his neighbor. I was his brother. Before I became involved with homelessness issues, I may have judged a person like this had I seen them walking in my neighborhood. The worth and dignity of a human being can never be determined by their appearance or particular plight in life. I realized that until we have walked in another person’s shoes it is difficult to possess compassion that helps us recognize our neighbor. However, once we experience compassion, we are compelled to act with justice –just like this man did for me.