homeless – Grits with Grace

fear, forgiveness, life, loving others, Scripture, spiritual battles

Broken Hearts, Broken Lives

Posted on October 9, 2025October 8, 2025 by Dewayne Taylor

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil. You are with me.” Psalm 23:4

It was late afternoon. My wife Judy and I live on one of the main streets that run through our small city. We have a sidewalk and as you can imagine it is not unusual for all kinds of people to be walking by all the time. Sometimes there are families, loud and happy as they stroll and sometimes it just someone going somewhere. But then sometimes it is a someone like yesterday that day. Though not all the details were apparent…he wore chapter after chapter of his broken life story.

Life was hard…it was as clear as glass. He was shuffling along pushing an empty shopping cart. At first I thought he was an older man I see walking laps around our block. He pushes a walker and is bound and determined not to let age stop him. But this was not him. This man was older but not that old and life had not been kind. His clothes were wore and tattered. He would take a few steps and then stop and look around and then take a few more. He reminded me of someone I had seen at the park several months ago.

That particular day I was walking in the city park. It wasn’t a casual walk but the exercising kind. That day was like a lot of spring days—the sun was shining, the birds were singing, the trees were doing their “leafing out” thing and it was a good day. Then, I heard something…someone.

I was alone in the park till then. As I crossed the bridge on the North end of the park there was a man in his forties or fifties. He was dressed normally—whatever that means—but that was where normalcy ended. At first, I thought he had one of those things in his ear that enabled him to talk on his cell phone. The closer I got the more I could see and hear.

He was angry. He was shouting. He was cursing. Then he began to pick up rocks and throw them violently in one direction and then another. I realized he was fighting a battle with someone I could not see but he could. To him it was real–very real. He felt threatened and hurt by an enemy only he could see.

That day I prayed. I asked God to deliver him from the invisible demon that was haunting him. I asked God for His peace to come upon this peace-less man. Later I saw him leaving the park, less angry, less violent and no longer cursing. It seemed from where I was that a moment of calm had come to his storm wrecked mind. I was grateful and told God so.

I have thought about that day several times and it came to my mind again yesterday when this man covered with brokenness walked by my house. My verbalized thoughts were, “Oh, Lord, how hard his life must be. Help him…be with him” Soon, he had moved on and I was left alone with my own thoughts. You know, not all people with hard lives walk down streets pushing empty carts. Some are the people you and I pass in Walmart, or maybe it is the neighbor next door or perhaps the person you sit next to in church on Sunday.

The truth is there are a lot of folks fighting and fearful of enemies–enemies that don’t have or need a face to wreck lives. There’s the loss of a job or business, the fear of losing their marriage or someone they love, the fear that things will never be the same, the fear that this fear will own them–consume them.

My mind goes back to Psalm 23:4. David, chased by a crazed king consumed with jealousy, chased by too many memories of too many failures writes, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil. You are with me.” He was wise enough to know that as he walked through this valley it wasn’t filled with real monsters–only monster “wanna-be’s.”

You see, for him the valley became a roadway and not a residence. Death, or things that cause death, because of his faith in a “bigger-than-anything” God, was reduced to a shadow. Shadows can frighten but they can cause no real damage or harm. How did that happen? Well, somewhere along the way David chose to believe his God and he found peace. He said, “I don’t need to fear evil, no matter what it looks like, because You are with me.” You.Are.With.Me.

Today as you journey, remember all around us are people who fight battles with enemies only they can see. Be sure and swift not to judge but to pray. That day in the park and I guess to some degree yesterday, I got it right but trust me I don’t always do that. It’s then that I pray a different prayer–one for forgiveness. And if you are fighting those invisible enemies today–just a word or two. God loves you. Rest in Him. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

communication, friends, life, loving others, Scripture, spiritual battles, Trials

Ignored

Posted on July 22, 2025July 15, 2025 by Dewayne Taylor

“Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk.” Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk.” John 5:8-9

No matter how hard I tried…he ignored me. So, I am a walker…sometimes more consistent than others… but generally I walk several days a week. The habit person in me likes the consistency of taking the same route over and over. The adventure person in me likes to vary the routes that I take. The bottom line…it is a coin toss every time I walk. Regardless of which route I take; I see him frequently.

Who is he? He is one of the homeless guys here in our small town. Actually, I am only assuming he is homeless. Like I said, frequently and no matter how early, I see him riding his bike, pushing his bike, and sitting somewhere, anywhere holding onto his bike. When I stroll by, I try to be friendly. I walk by and give him a wave and a smile with a “good morning,” attached. He doesn’t respond. If you remember the story of Brier Rabbit and Tar Baby, you know when Tar Baby didn’t respond to Brier Rabbit—he got more than a little upset. Well, I think Brier Rabbit and I might be distant cousins. My thought was, “What’s up with this? Why is he ignoring me?”

Well, there were many attempts after that attempt, and it wasn’t just with him. I would try to wave, be friendly, and give a “Good morning” if we were in voice range. Almost without exception…there was nothing just a blank stare. Well, earlier this week it was the same song, same verse but this time something occurred to me…or more accurately maybe Someone spoke to me. The thought, the inner voice was this, “Dewayne, he is ignoring you because that is all he knows.” A bell went off in my head and in my heart.

I realized in that moment that to most people, these folks who live in the streets are ignored because they become invisible. Most people don’t even see them much less acknowledge them. And, I think, that once you have been ignored for so long…when you are invisible to the world around you…you stop seeing and feeling too. It becomes easy to just look, to stare until the world around disappears. And, you need to know, that it isn’t always homeless people…it can be just everyday walk-around people who have been bruised and hurt one too many times. They go to work, they function, but in reality, they stare into nothingness just trying to get by.

What are we to do? Well, first we don’t stop trying to reach out and touch those around us. Jesus was so good at seeing the invisible and loving the unlovable and do you know what? He never gave up. A story is told about a lame man who laid by a pool forever…or, at least, it seemed forever…38 years to be exact. The rumor was if you could be the first in the pool when the waters stirred, you would be healed. It wasn’t true and it really didn’t matter because he could never be first. And then…Jesus showed up.

Jesus saw him, spoke to him and asked this question, “Do you want to be well?” The man gave Him the story about him and the waters. Jesus didn’t quit. He just said, “Pick up your mat and walk.” Well, the guy took the gamble, obeyed, and…he was healed…just like that. Amazing. Thirty-eight years of suffering ended abruptly. I guess we can’t offer the broken around us that kind of deal, but we can see, we can speak, and we can pray and when we do that…who knows what God will do?

Let me encourage you…and me for that matter…to start seeing again, to start loving again, to start making a difference, no matter how small, again. If you see someone obviously broken and you are a Jesus follower, just remember how broken you were when you met the Healer and He whispered, “I love you…I forgive you.” And as you remember, take that moment to reach out and let that person know how much God loves them and longs to forgive them. Oh, and let them also know that, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Family, fear, food, forgiveness, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, prayer, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Look, See and Love

Posted on August 13, 2024August 9, 2024 by Dewayne Taylor

I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.” Psalm 142:4-5

There she stood…alone and frightened. I guess you could say I am a “details” person. I notice things most others don’t see. My wife Judy and I just returned from a short trip to Nashville for a few days of “let’s get away.” We were sitting on the back porch chatting and drinking coffee and I said to Judy, “Did you happen to notice that the house over there (over there being at least two blocks away) has three pairs of shutters—one pair open and the other two pairs closed?” Well, she hadn’t noticed and that was when she stated the obvious, “You are such a detail person.” And she was right…I am.

My attention to detail is just as keen back home in Harrisburg. In our town we have quite a few people who are homeless—some by choice, some with mental illness and some who are just struggling with life. As I see them—and I do see them—I often think about what their life must be like. How do they do it? What is it like to not have a place to call home? What does it feel like to feel abandoned and unloved? It saddens me when I realize that the life they have now is most likely the only life they will ever know. Most won’t ever know anything better. And then, I usually pray asking Him to care for those who wander through life as they wander the streets. And I know that it is only by the grace of God that I am where I am. Charles Stanley, the former pastor of First Baptist Church of Atlanta, once saw a homeless lady pushing a buggy and he said, “There, but by the grace of God, goes I.”

The other day I was helping with our Fun Food ministry at the local Methodist church. We were serving the kids there for Vacation Bible School some popcorn, snow cones, and cotton candy. While we were waiting for the kids, a homeless lady wandered up. She was tall and as thin as a rail and her eyes were filled—not with life but fear. We offered her some of what we had but it was as if she was afraid to take it. She stayed a safe distance and with difficulty asked if we had some water. We did not. I believe she did finally take some popcorn and maybe some cotton candy and then—she wandered away. The last time I saw her, her hands were empty and so were her eyes. She kept glancing back as if to make sure we weren’t going to harm her.

Well, a couple of days later I was reading the Bible and remembered a verse that I had discovered in years past. It is found in Psalms 142:4-5 and says, “I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.” What I saw and experienced that day gave me pause and it still does. Here’s the deal. Sometimes we can help physically, and we should do so…carefully. But something that we can do every time is to assign the same value God does to every person—regardless. We must treat every person with the same dignity that God does. Believe me—He values a life regardless of what station or color they are—and we should do the same.

Someone said, “Don’t let the fact that you can’t help everyone keep you from helping someone.” And do you know what? Sometimes that help looks a whole lot like Jesus—loving them like He loves us. The one thing I could do that day for that lady was to show love and treat her like she mattered—because she does. I know this can be challenging and honestly loving usually is. But remember this…the One who loves you most is waiting to help you do the hard stuff like loving. After all, He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, fear, forgiveness, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, missions, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Ignored

Posted on May 23, 2023May 22, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk.” Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk. John 5:8-9

No matter how hard I tried…he ignored me. So, I am a walker…sometimes more consistent than others but generally I walk several days a week. The habit person in me likes the consistency of taking the same route over and over. The adventure person in me likes to vary the routes that I take. The bottom line…it is a coin toss every time I walk. Regardless of which route I take; I see him frequently.

I realized in that moment that to most people, these folks who live in the streets are ignored because they become invisible. Most people don’t even see them, much less acknowledge them. And, I think, that once you have been ignored for so long…when you are invisible to the world around you…you stop seeing and feeling too. It becomes easy to just look, to stare until the world around disappears. And, you need to know, that it isn’t always homeless people…it can be just everyday walk-around people who have been bruised and hurt one too many times. They go to work, they function, but in reality, they stare into nothingness just trying to get by.

Jesus saw him, spoke to him, and asked this question, “Do you want to be well?” The man gave him the story about him and the waters. Jesus didn’t quit. He just said, “Pick up your mat and walk.” Well, the guy took the gamble, obeyed, and…he was healed…just like that. Amazing. Thirty-eight years of suffering ended abruptly. I guess we can’t offer the broken around us that kind of deal, but we can see, we can speak, and we can pray and when we do that…who knows what God will do?

Family, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Danny

Posted on March 18, 2022March 17, 2022 by Dewayne Taylor

Jesus wept.” John 11:35

It still gives me reason to pause. It was years ago…more than ten but less than twenty. A couple of the people in the story belong to me—one by blood and one by marriage. The other, Danny, was a stranger that they encountered. As they causally bumped into each other that day, their lives were changed…maybe not forever but for the moment. But every time this story is told, the change lives on.

It all started when my son-in-law Blake and his wife and my daughter Sarah were taking a walk. After a while, they noticed a man walking his bike down the sidewalk coming towards them. As he drew closer, they noticed he had a military bag full of stuff and looked exhausted and was limping and wearing a pair of broken-down old shoes. As they passed, he politely said hello even joking about his limp and how he was walking off some blisters he had.

After they walked on a few more feet it struck Blake that this guy was probably homeless—obviously lonely and hurting. At that moment Blake turned to my daughter and said they should at least try to help him. So, they hurried home and Blake found a nearly new pair of shoes, some socks, and a bag of snacks and drinks and headed out to find his new friend. He found him a block or so away. He said, “Hey man what size shoe do you wear?” He replied he didn’t know what size he wore and then began to share some of his story. He had a “hard, knock life.”

He explained to Blake that he had hit a rough time after coming home from serving in the military and had just had a terrible day—probably not the only one he had experienced. After talking for a few minutes, Blake offered him the shoes and socks and told him he hoped this would help with the blisters. He then offered him the food and drinks. It was obvious the man hadn’t eaten in a while and when he saw the food, his broad smile was better than any spoken thank you. Then, they exchanged names and a handshake and Danny went his way and Blake his. Then…something unexpected happened to Blake.

Blake told me later that as he walked away, he began to cry and with each step away from Danny, the tears flowed more freely. Some say real men don’t cry and that of course is not true. The Bible says that the greatest man ever to live shed some tears. In the shortest verse in the New Testament, it says, “Jesus wept.” But those two words speak volumes. It speaks of a Man who wasn’t afraid to touch the untouchable or love the unlovable. It speaks of a man who was willing to give what He had to help others—including His own life.

My son-in-law would tell you he doesn’t always get it right. He would tell you that he is in fact far from perfect. But this father-in-law will tell you this is one time he knocked it out of the park—a walk-off homer. And all he did was what all of us should do…love our neighbor. If we are Jesus followers that is not only expected—it should be a rite of passage. To follow Jesus, we should be like Jesus. That day Blake did something that Jesus would have done. First, he saw and then he did something. How cool is that?

Blake said that he was moved, struck, with the reality that there are people all around us that are hurting…beat up and cast down by life and it’s crazy circumstances. That day, Blake didn’t even have the money to buy Danny a meal, but do you know what he did? He did what he could and that was enough. So, how about you? The next time you find a someone who looks a little like Danny, will you do what you can? Will I? I know it can be risky, but I also know that it is always pleasing to our Heavenly Father.

We don’t have to be zillionaires to make a difference. That day, Blake was broke, but he discovered a great lesson—the power of a simple gift, a kind word, and warm handshake. And whether he knew it or not, he also discovered that there is a God, some of us call Him Dearest Daddy, who loves us and loves it when we act like Him. He also found out what I and perhaps you, already know, “He’s got that.” Bro. Dewayne

Family, fear, forgiveness, Grace, life, love, loving others, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Ignored

Posted on July 26, 2021July 25, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk.” Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk. John 5:8-9

Jesus saw him, spoke to him and asked this question, “Do you want to be well?” The man gave him the story about him and the waters. Jesus didn’t quit. He just said, “Pick up your mat and walk.” Well, the guy took the gamble, obeyed, and…he was healed…just like that. Amazing. Thirty-eight years of suffering came to an abrupt end. I guess we can’t offer the broken around us that kind of deal, but we can see, we can speak, and we can pray and when we do that…who knows what God will do?

Let me encourage you…and me for that matter…to start seeing again, to start loving again, to start making a difference, no matter how small, again. If you see someone obviously broken and you are a Jesus follower, just remember how broken you were when you met the Healer and He whispered, “I love you…I forgive you.” And as you remember, take that moment to reach out and let that person know how much God loves them and longs to forgive them. Oh, and let them know also that, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne