Shawn showed up in town with a friend who kicked him out of the car and left him, homeless, no money, knowing no one, alone and hungry. Shawn flies below everyone’s radar. This is not new for him. He’s barely in his twenties and has had a rough start. His mother is a needle using meth head and has been as long as he can remember. His over the road truck driving step mother took him in but his father has never been in the picture. 

Shawn is disoriented in this world. Lost, alone, without hope, without love, without support. He’s the guy it seems no one notices and if they do they discount him. He’s the one beaten, left naked and dying on the side of the road and ignored by so many.

His “friend” kicked him out of the car and left him along the side of the road with nothing in a place far from his home town. That’s what friends are for right? In desperation, Shawn searched the internet net for help.

It seems fitting that he looked for something with the Christian label. He found Kaufman Christian Center about 10 miles from here and called Pastor Richard. Pastor Richard called me and sent me Shawn’s number. I called Shawn and told him “I’m out of town until later” but he can go up to Serenity and get some food and water. I asked him where he was and he said that he called First United Methodist and Pastor Pete got him a hotel room.

Within 24 hours he got fed, got a good nights sleep in a hotel, and is on a bus home. He may be off the grid for most of us but not for God. Shawn’s biological dad may be absent but his Bigger Dad is always present and brought several of His other sons close to Shawn for a moment. Kinship within the Family. With acceptance without judgement. Compassion without conditions. Love without boundaries. 

Is this the way it should work? I think so. Our Savior and Brother on the Cross looked down and said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.”

Shawn doesn’t know what he’s doing. I don’t know what I’m doing either. Richard and Pete don’t what they’re doing. The marvelous thing is our Dad has forgiven us for it all.

Shawn will probably forget our names, what hotel he stayed in, and what he ate here. But he will remember some brothers reached out to him and lifted him up when he was down. He will remember that the Radar of God’s Kindness is always on him and leading him Home.