Who Am I Inside? in Muddling Through As Best I Can

A weird thing happened last night. My second job is in an unsavory part of town, rife with drug addicts and homeless people. After work, I stopped for coffee for the long drive home, and a homeless guy asked me, "Do you know who you are inside?"

I just smiled and told him I was too tired on the outside to think about the inside. He then told me he would pray for me for rest and peace.

All the way home I thought about my flippant answer. This man, obviously less fortunate than me showed kindness, and I returned it with sarcasm. Maybe he was mentally unstable, maybe not. I didn't take the time to notice. Not very proud of myself this morning.

I've always defined myself in light of caring for my family, being a good husband and father. Great goals to be sure, but what do I put out as an example for others by dismissing someone this casually?

I call myself a Christian, but my behavior last night was anything but. I could give excuses about working to much and being tired, but I have two decent jobs at a time when one is hard to come by. I could cite problems at home. How ungrateful, when more and more people have no homes to go to.

My family is healthy and happy. I have more than many, yet simple courtesy was beyond me. I hope he's there tonight so I can apologize and take a moment to treat him as though he matters, because he does and I'm ashamed of how I behaved. "Who am I inside?" I think I should give this some serious evaluation.