One night I was blessed to see a young man I had known since his youth. I had not seen him in many years. Let me tell you his story, or at least the part I know.
This boy, as well as about 5-6 others used to come to our house day after day when Breanne was young, they were all friends. We lived in the city of Dayton at the time, in the middle of the city in a large, yet old, two story house. These boys, however, lived in a place that we called the projects…which was the lowest income in our city. These boys had parents that didn’t seem to be concerned with their most basic needs. Their parents didn’t seem concerned with how they would eat or where they would spend their days. Day after day they would come to our house hungry and I would feed them.
This was a time in my life when I had very little as well, I was going through a season in God where I was believing him for every meal, yet day after day these boys came to my house hungry and God made sure I was able to feed them.
Most of those boys are now living lives that I wish they weren’t. Most are into drugs. Most have been in jail over and over again. Most of them went the wrong way in spite of what I tried to sow into them, in spite of how I tried to help them go the right way, most of them…but there is this one, the one I saw that night. He has fought hard and become all he wanted to be. There he stood, no longer a little boy, but a grown man, in his policeman uniform, smiling and talking with me. I could not have been more proud.
We were having a get together with some family members when he came in and automatically I said ‘Hey B. are you hungry?’ He said ‘no ma’am.’ I said ‘you know, I have fed you since you were a little boy.’ He said ‘yes, ma’am.’ And then he smiled at me. It was my reward on this earth for that season of feeding those young boys. That reward touched my heart in a deep way, to this day when I think of him, I am so proud of him.
When I think about this encounter, I am reminded of a story in Matthew 18. You are probably familiar with the story of the 100 sheep. Jesus said if a man had 100 sheep and one of them was lost, would he not leave the 99 and go find the one. He went on to say that he would, and not only would he find the one but he would rejoice exceedingly over that one that was found.
That was how I felt looking at that young boy, now a grown man, protecting his city. Inside I was rejoicing exceedingly. I wasn’t thinking about the others who went another way – I was thinking about the one who had found his way and made something out of his life.
Friends, it is great to preach to thousands but Jesus was concerned about the one and we should be too.
If we preach to a thousand and only one or two arise in their faith, don’t be concerned. Those one of two will change generations. Be thankful for the two, be thankful for the one.
If you have tried to help and encourage a hundred people in your life and only one got it, be thankful for that one. Don’t be concerned about those who keep complaining and coming up with reasons to not trust God, let them go, and seek out the one. The one is there…right there in your midst, don’t miss the one.
I am so thankful that God trusted me to feed those young boys, I am so thankful that God trusted me to sow into their young lives. I am thankful for the one and I am assured that the others still know what was put inside them in their early years and it will come back to them. God was put on the inside of them and they simply can’t get away from that.
Jesus was concerned about the one, let’s make a decision to be more like Jesus and be concerned about and thankful for the one. Thank you God!
