'Caring for God's Presence in our Midst'
Reflections
Monday, 28 February, 2011 | By Vincent Shoultz, Safety Monitor at Joseph’s House of Camden
One night while monitoring the guests at Joseph's House, I noticed one of our guests (B) stand
up from where he was sitting on the far side of the room nearest to the windows. After
standing up, (B) began walking in between other guests that were lying on the floor as if he was
performing in an obstacle course, headed to the rest room. (B) is one of our guests that suffers
from a physical disability that causes him to frequently lose his balance. Nonetheless, his
resiliency allowed him to finally make his way to the bathroom downstairs and finally back
upstairs.
After (B) came upstairs from the bathroom, I noticed that (B) was not too eager to make his
way back to his seat across the room, because he didn't want to trip on any of the other guests,
making his way over there. Instead, (B's) only option was to sit in a high chair that he was
eventually going to try and sleep on.
I encouraged (B) to follow me as I led him through the maze of human bodies lying on the floor.
After I kindly asked 2 other guests if they could move over to allow (B) enough room to get
past, they did without any hesitation. By having the guests move over, it allowed (B) to go to his
seat without further problems.
That morning, while many guests were preparing to leave Joseph's House, and as (B) was about
to walk out the door, he said to me, "Vince, through your compassion, I saw the love of Christ."
I responded, "Amen, brother! (B), that is exactly who I want you to see - that is Christ and His
love for us. And the love that He wants and instructs us to show towards others."
Those few kind words from (B) really made my day. So much, in fact, that I shared this story
with numerous individuals throughout the next day. Those words really ministered to my spirit.
I had to literally sit in a chair and reflect on what (B) said to me. Honestly, it brought tears to my
eyes. "To God Be The Glory, Amen."