REALSample

Reach Out

By S. George Thomas 

As a gifted bass-fishing pro, Sonny made a great living touring and competing on ESPN. He was well on his way to becoming a millionaire until he got caught up in a horrible drug addiction and began to sell off all his things—his house, boat, Harley—everything.

Sonny wound up homeless, living on the streets of Las Vegas. For eight months, he woke up every morning and washed people’s car windows. Most days, the only thing he’d ever say was “Thank you” as people gave him a tip. Later in the day, he’d hop on a bus, ride across town to buy drugs, and come back to where he slept in a field beside a church.

Sonny didn’t want anything to do with God, but one day, he walked into the church because he heard he could get a shower, food, and some clean clothes. It had been three months since his last shower, and he stunk horribly. Yet, when he walked through the doors of the church, a woman named Michelle—a soccer mom—looked directly at Sonny and said to him, “You look like you need a hug.”

He looked at Michelle and said, “You don’t want to hug me.” She said, “No, you look like you need a hug.” Despite the fact that he smelled awful, Michelle walked up to Sonny and embraced him. Looking in his eyes, she said, “Jesus loves you.”

Thinking back to that moment, Sonny says, “I hadn’t been hugged in months. With all the street preachers I had encountered, all the tracts people had given me, and all the ‘Christian stuff ’ I’d seen in my life, nothing prepared me for that moment of genuine human contact.” As he looked Michelle in the eye, something cracked in his heart.

Sonny took a shower, got some clothes, and checked out a Bible from the church’s library. A few weeks later, he got on his knees and prayed, “God, I’m done. I don’t know how I’m going to deal with this addiction, but I surrender my life to You.”

Now, Sonny is drug-free, married, and a business owner. He’s also making a positive difference as an advocate for helping the homeless in Las Vegas. And it’s all because a soccer mom gave him a hug.

The Gospels tell us whenever Jesus encountered someone in need, He didn’t just passively stand by and offer encouraging words. He always responded by actively reaching out and touching their lives, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually. And He calls each of us to follow His example and do the same—to be His hands and His feet to those we come in contact with each and every day.

When it comes down to it, that’s all “outreach” really is ... it’s simply reaching out. Imagine what kind of difference you can make if you just allow God to use you to reach out to those in need around you!

Prayer

Jesus, I want to reach out to those around me and love them as You would love them. I want to be like You. Show me ways I can practically love people every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Memory Verse

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)