More from Susan Thogerson Maas

As a Christian, I want to help the needy, including homeless people. However, sometimes I feel bombarded via television, radio, and online media with so many needs that I don’t know where to start. Psychologists even have a name for this feeling: compassion fatigue. We can get so overwhelmed that we just give up and retreat into our own safe little world. I admit to that temptation. My encounter with the woman at the rest stop that I wrote about in today’s meditation caused me to think more about this problem and try to find the best way to help.

For me it starts with little things. I often see people in need near the store where I grocery shop. So I recently bought some grocery gift cards and hope to give those out when I see someone in need. A friend of mine made up “blessing bags” to hand out to people without homes whom she met. Each bag contained toothpaste and a toothbrush, tissues, small bandages, crackers, cookies, and hand sanitizer. A cold drink in the summer and warm socks in the winter would be other good additions, perhaps along with a small New Testament or booklet of encouraging verses and a list of local resources.

There is one thing I can do regardless of whether I have anything tangible to give: I can greet each person, no matter their circumstances, with a smile and a warm, “Hello.” Nobody likes the feeling of being invisible. And if I truly see the other person, I may be more open to God’s promptings concerning them. Greeting strangers isn’t easy for an introvert like me, but I am really trying to see everyone I meet through God’s eyes of love—and to respond as Jesus would want.