9/1/17: It’s not about YOU!

First Fridays in Oakland are crazy!

Everyone’s got their checks, so it makes for a pretty entertaining night!  Unfortunately, it also means that the idea of getting clean and off the streets gets pushed back a few weeks (when you’ve got the money for what you want, your need for a different life isn’t as pressing).

We also usually see less of our friends and family: some stay in hotels, and many are still full from dinner.

But this First Friday, God sent us a gift in a man named Leonard*.

Leonard has lived at our first stop for over a year, but for some reason, this was the first time we met him.

He’s incredibly gracious and kind; a little drunk, but coherent…I would describe him as measured: everything he said was pointed and purposeful.  There were times he would pause for a long time in between his thoughts, but as soon as he was ready to speak again, it was powerful: no “wasted” words.

I believe God was speaking through Leonard as he smiled at me and said,

“This isn’t about YOU, you know?  It’s all about HIM!

If you’re doing this for you, and you’re getting something out of it beyond doing His will, then you’re doing this for the wrong reasons.  This isn’t about YOU, it’s all about HIM!”

He said a few other things, but this was the refrain he kept coming back to, and I knew it was God: it had that feeling that accompanies hearing the truth.  It was convicting and loving, and it hit me right between the eyes.

I will admit, it started to get a little repetitive, so I tried letting him know that I was getting what he was saying, so I told him,

“Thank you, Leonard, I receive it.”

To which Leonard replied,

“I don’t care if you receive it or not, it’s not ABOUT you!”

He was very serious during most of our dialogue, but every once and awhile, he’d flash me a smile, which told me that he was saying this out of love, and not out of judgment.  Again, that’s the mark of the Holy Spirit.

We eventually had to go to our next stop, but as Leonard headed back to his tent and I got in the car, he kept giving me the word: “Remember, it’s not about you!  It’s about Him!”

To those who have an ear to hear, let them hear.