What do want me to do for you?

“What do you want me to do for you?”  This is a question that Jesus asked the blind Bartimaeus.  Not surprisingly he answered, “Master, I want to see.”  

It’s a question that runs through my mind at Strong Life, a rescue mission for homeless people.  “What do you want me to do for you?”  I volunteer as a case manager on Wednesdays.  I thought this was a good way to use my skills and felt the Lord calling me to serve marginalized populations.  

After a couple of weeks, I realized that ‘case manager’ also means I drive the bus.  I make a trip to the Salvation Army shelter each morning and afternoon.  I take a handful of people to the Social Security office.  In Hickory, the office was brilliantly (sarcasm) located far from the city center, outside the bus routes, and not walkable for the homeless and poor populations who need these services the most.  

In between driving, I do a little case management.  As I meet with people, underneath resides that loaded question:  “What do you want me to do for you?”  The question carries with it a little vulnerability.  I don’t know what the answer might be.  I don’t know if I will be able to help them.  

The needs of the sixty homeless people at the mission vary wildly.  Some need a shower.  Others need a new shirt or pair of underwear.  In the winter, jackets, dry blankets, and camping supplies are in great demand.  Some are just lost in a complex society and need a safe place to go.   As a case manager, I’ve helped a person get a replacement ID at the DMV, connected another with addiction issues to appropriate services, drove a person to a job interview, and helped a person fill out the HUD housing forms.  I’ve realized the goal is to help the other find one baby step that will take them in a positive direction.  

In a like manner, the question Jesus asked is open-ended and shows a willingness to go wherever the other is ready to go.  It also showed that Jesus does not impose a solution but waits for that person to express the desire – when the time is right.  Jesus came to serve, not to be served.  I am trying to do the same. 

  
Who in your life might need you to meet them wherever they are, and ask, “What do you want me to do for you?”