Love thy Neighbor

In the City of Atlanta, there is a big state of poverty in the City. Unfortunately no one is talking about solutions to fix it. People are begging on the streets, everywhere you turn. Yesterday I decided to find out "what happened to them?".


I went to the west end of Atlanta and met a man in front of a fried chicken restaurant. He called himself "Scarface". He had massive scars all over his body. He seen me with a camera and wanted me to do a documentary on him. I giggled and said, "I don't do documentaries but I'd like to take your picture and hear your story". Scarface didn't say much of anything, just went back and forth, mumbling about alot of different things. He talked about the street life and how he hustles selling CDs. He wanted me to buy him some chicken, and I did. it was the lest I could do
Next, I was in Castleberry, were I met James, a pan handler on Peters St. I knew James for a while, James calls me "Nephew". James is a cool dude. As we were talking a woman came around, saying "Please! someone help me, I'm pregnant and I need food, I don't want your money, I just want something to eat". I gave her $5, but James gave all the money he had pan-handling to her. I said to him, "why did you do that?" he said, "Because Nephew, it's just gonna come right back to me".



James said he is a diabetic living on the streets, which shocked me because my mom is a diabetic, and her life is tough with that disease. He said when he asks for food, people think he will sell it for drugs, so they tell him to eat it in front of them. He does what they say, knowing it will probably kill him. I asked him what went wrong in his life? He said, "Nothing went wrong, Nephew, I chose this life" I asked him but what about the winters and living life on the streets, aren't you suffering? he said "I look forward to everyday, I've been doing this for years, God put me here to help others like that lady".

A few things run through my mind. In Jesus's time he helped the poor. The Poor and needy mobbed him everyday of his ministry. We read about when a multitude of 5,000 came he feed them fish and bread. Jesus, must of been overwhelmed by what was going on, but kept helping and passed the opportunity to help others, to us.

I dont know these people. but I'm not here to judge them. God gives us the opportunity to help our neighbors, we need to do it, as it was written, "Love thy Neighbor".