Have you ever been really hungry? Have you ever experienced true hunger, with no knowledge of where you may be able to get your next meal?
Not so long ago, our community were privileged to hear from an incredible person, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton who suffered homelessness as a child, but fought through her challenges and eventually became the Chief of the Fire Brigade in West Sussex. It was an inspirational talk, not only because of her academic and professional achievements, but more importantly for her humility and her compassion for all people.
When telling us her story, she described how, one day, she was watching a group of people eating burgers while she was hungrily looking on.
Someone threw their half-eaten burger in the bin and she went to the bin to retrieve it. As she started eating it, the person who threw it away looked at her with disgust.
She was humiliated, and wondered why this person could not look at her with compassion for having to be in a position where she could only find food in a bin, rather than disgust for eating someone else's leftovers from the garbage.
For those of us who are able to eat our own food, from our own fridge in our own home, or bought in a restaurant or shop with our own money, we are truly, truly blessed.
Before we eat our food, perhaps we can have that thought in mind, as we thank God, not only for the food, but for the dignity with which we can eat it.
And if we come across a homeless person, perhaps we could say hello with a genuine smile, and give them something nice to eat too.
