“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”—Genesis 1:27

A dear friend of mine keeps baggies in her car that are filled with water, snacks and a few dollars to give to the homeless. She shared that when she gives it to them, she asks their name. They will usually smile and tell her their first name and sometimes last name too. If I am going to live and love like Jesus, I should be praying for people by name just as He does.

I had some hats and scarves to give away, so I put each in a baggie along with a bottle of water, hand sanitizer and a few dollars to keep in my car. This past week I had the opportunity to bless a homeless person with one of my hand knit neck warmers.

I had an appointment in an area where I knew there would be a homeless person at one of the stoplights. On the way, I prayed, Lord let that light be red so that I can give away my gift. As I exited the highway, I saw the green light, so I knew it would be changing soon. I was the first car stopped at the light.

I rolled down my window and held out my baggie. As the man walked up to the car, I asked him his name. He told me, John. I said, John I knit this neck warmer for you. You are going to need it when it gets cold tonight. I want you to know that God loves you and you matter. He told me, two months ago, I got hit by a truck and I thought I was going to die. I prayed for God to let me live and He did. I replied, God hears your prayers, John and He loves you and sees you. I am going to be praying for you. His eyes filled up with tears when I said that to him.

As I rolled up my window, the song, Made in the Image of God by We Are Messengers was playing. These were the lyrics I heard: We all need the same medicine; We all need another second chance; There's no first in line at the foot of the Cross. Tears started rolling down my face because I know God was talking to me. He was telling me, Lisa, everyone is made in My image. John is my child. I love him. Pray that he believes he is made in My image.

I cried and prayed for him my entire 30-minute car ride home. I am crying as I type this. I never really thought about how invisible he must feel and how something as simple as asking his name, let him know that not only I notice him, but so does God which was what he needed to hear. Now that I know his name, as he comes to mind, I am praying specifically for John. I am not praying, Lord, I lift up that man I gave the hat to last week.

It only took one extra second of my day to ask his name. How many times do we drive by someone that is desperate and turn our heads? I know some people may say not to give them money because they will just use it to buy alcohol or drugs, but I am not called to judge others but to love them. It’s not my business what they do with the money I may have given them. For all I know, that scarf could be on the side of the road, but that really doesn’t matter. What matters is that I loved like Jesus.

Where can you love like Jesus this week? Have you ever asked a homeless person his/her name? What would happen if each of us prayed by name for one person that is on the streets? Think about the impact we could make with all of those prayers. As Christians we have an opportunity to share the love of Jesus with every person we encounter because they are all made in the image of God. We all have the same Father and are all members of God’s household.

Dear Lord,

Open my eyes to see those around me that are in need of hope. I ask for the words to speak to encourage those that feel invisible. I pray for John and others who don’t feel worthy of Your love or believe that they are ALL made in Your image. Lead me and use me to shine Your light in my corner of the world. It is in the name of Jesus that I pray these things. Amen.

January Memory Verse

Will you join me this month in imprinting Luke 1:37 on your heart. This is also my verse for the year. I need to repeat this every morning. With God, nothing is impossible.

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”—Luke 1:37

Please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.