Preoccupied

Dear God:

 I am preoccupied.

 The Arctic blast encompassing most of the U.S. forces me to think about the homeless. My heavy heart thinks about these souls, as well as the families dependent on shelters, churches, and other safe havens that offer an open door of refuge either during a storm or otherwise. But today, especially, I am preoccupied with the effects that this particular storm has on my brothers and sisters.

  As twilight drifts across a cold, cloudless sky, and black blankets another day, questions roll around in my head like marbles on a waxed floor:

What if I were one of the many thousands of people who are sleeping in a stranger’s bed, under a stranger’s roof?

Would someone pray for me?

Yes!

Yes, they would!

Because of your grace and your love for all of mankind, someone, a stranger, would speak to you on my behalf.

Thank you for preoccupying my thoughts.

Thank you for allowing me to speak to you on behalf of the stranger that I will never know . . .

for the stranger that I will never meet, but feel empathy for their plight, just the same.

Amen