It all started with...Avocado and cheese...

A few months ago I sat down to eat an avocado and cheese sandwich with my little girl. 
   
I was super pleased as I do love avocado and cheese sandwiches.  When I went to take my first bite, I heard the Pastor on the radio say "The rich man fared sumptuously every day while Lazarus sat outside the gate."  Hmmm...my sandwich didn't seem so appealing.  I knew that we were not rich compared to American standards, but compared to the rest of the world...well we were wealthy.   After hesitating a bit, I put it out of my mind and finished my tasty food. 
    
The next day, I realized I still had more avocado, and I could have one of those tasty sandwiches again...exciting times!   Gone was the message of yesterday, today was a new day!   So I made us sandwiches and sat down to eat.  We eat lunch at different times during the day, but right when I went to take that first bite again, the same Pastor's voice came on the radio and said the exact same thing, "The rich man fared sumptuously every day while Lazarus sat outside the gate."   Ok, now this was concerning me.   I know sometimes they replay portions of the message from the day before; however, we eat at different times, and why did that exact sentence happen to be stated right when I was taking my first bite?  Such poignant words, especially since I knew my food was sumptuously tasty.
    
So I stood up and I walked to my kitchen window and looked outside, and I said, "Lord, there is no poor person at my gate, there is no poor person at anyone's house that I know.   I don't understand why you are telling me this.  What am I supposed to do?"   I know that I am saved by Jesus, and by His grace would be saved from the fate of hell- as compared to the rich man in the story; but I didn't want to be acting like this rich man.   
    
A few days later, I happened to read the text of this story in the Bible, and realized a couple things.... the beggar man in the story was choiceless -if he had a way to work he would not have just lain at this man's gate hoping to be fed.   Maybe he was unable to walk since someone "laid" the man there-hoping that the rich man would feed him (even though he didn't seem to).