Man of God: The Refugee of Roses

Traffic had come to a halt. I sat in my car silently observing as a gentleman who looked to be in his late 50s to early 60s, made his way down the corridor. He held a sign in his hands, ‘Looking for work, will work for food, God bless you,’ and kindly waved at everyone as he walked past their cars. He was selling roses. It was endearing how his head swayed as he waved; he had such a purity to his being. It was a genuine wave. He meant it whether you acknowledged him or not. You could feel this truth deep in your heart as his eyes rested upon you.

With a white scarf atop her head and plenty of roses in her hands, a small dark-haired, and finely robust woman stood at the other end of the exit. Her eyes revealed an unscathed inward purity, a hint of trepidation, and a feeling of overwhelm.

It was their war-torn eyes though, that most ludically revealed the experiences they had just come through. It could be sensed in the feelings that were inextricably laden in their hearts and minds. It was also highlighted in how they stood and approached.

With an undeniable faith in his heart and some weariness in his loving, saturated, yet hopeful eyes, this man put his pure and full faith in us, his fellow humanity, to help them out in this time of true need. He had an unparalleled and unwavering dignity about him. More than anything in this world, he would like to be able to work and to build again.

They were beyond exhausted. Their bodies and minds were pushed far beyond their limits. Yet there they stood before me. These two human beings were not asking for handouts or favors. They are do-ers. They want an opportunity to be, to live, and to thrive. They want to feel safe. They want to feed their families. They want to enjoy life and their loved ones, just as every single one of us does.

I made eye contact with the gentle man again, so as to feel him out a bit more thoroughly. He waved, I waved back. The traffic began to move once again. I pulled off to the side of the road in order to speak with him. He made his way toward my vehicle as I was stepping out to greet him. His heart was full of love, his Spirit magnanimous. After that long, arduous journey from his country, upon countless encounters with hearts and minds who choose to ignore, look away, or to judge, their heads full to brimming with false ideas and assumptions — this beautiful man prevails. He stands tall in God’s Grace. He is God’s Grace in action. He stands in love, in trust — in full faith.

I was concerned for their safety, especially due to where they had positioned themselves on the highway. All it takes is for one ignorant person to cause harm to innocent human beings. Human beings that would never deign to harm others. Rather, this is a man who would take you in and treat you as if you were God. If you came to their home they would treat you as if you were God, because to them — you are. I am speaking of this man and his wife in particular here. This is not true for all.

It was a blessing to get to speak with this man of God, to have an opportunity to look into his eyes, and to hug him. I felt his heart as we hugged, we both started to cry. The feelings we shared overwhelmed my mind and body — it hurt in a raw, truthful, beautiful, life 101, sort of way. He carries so much in him, and so much with him.

We don’t speak the same language, however, our hearts easily understood one another. In that shared moment, our hands magnetized to rest upon our hearts. He blessed me in Allah’s name; I blessed him in the name of God. We held each other’s gaze. We felt each other’s hearts. He felt like an old friend, and he is. The God in him is my dearest friend.

This beautiful, wise, gentle man is a GIFT to our country. To feel his heart and all he has to offer. To think of the skills, and the years of work and expertise that he must bring along with him. To think of all that he has left behind, and to feel the accompanying emotions. To feel and see his wisdom, courage, and his faithful Spirit. To be blessed to see him humbly and openly standing on the side of the highway. To know that he was doing this because he had just arrived to our country, and this is what he needs to be doing right now in order to feed his family. If that is not a Master human, then what on God’s green earth is?

I cried on the way home. They were not tears of sorrow or sadness, but rather they were tears of gratefulness, of gratitude. I had met such an amazing human being. A man who is a living and active example of what it means to be human, to have walked through hell, and yet who has heaven and God in his heart, no matter what comes his way. That is the human Spirit at its finest, wouldn’t you say?

I went back to see if they were still there, a half hour or so later. They were not. I pray that I will get to see them again. Every time I drive by that exit, I look for them. In fact, I search the entire road hoping that maybe they have switched spots. I pray for their safety and for their dreams; that all they need comes their way, Divinely timed.

If you were to choose to help this man, he would share the Grace and strength that is his indomitable Spirit with you. He would share from the place in his Soul that is born of true wisdom, love, and the awareness of what this would be like for any one of us if we ever found ourselves in the same position.

Anyone who helps this man is greatly blessed to do so. It brings to mind, ‘If it was Jesus (or Buddha, or insert the name of a phenomenal Spirit in form here) how would you respond? That is what came to heart, mind, and Soul as through my meeting with this kind-hearted man of God. May all who see this man recognize this truth and feel compelled to help him on this leg of his journey if it be in God’s will for them to do so.

Reflect with me for a moment my fellow travelers in Soul: if it were your dearest loved one who was in a foreign country that had been torn apart by war, death, trauma, violence, strife, and hunger, and they were standing on the side of the road selling roses so that they could eat to live, how would you want others to treat and receive them?

Some of these people are Doctors, Professors, Engineers, etc. If you haven’t already, please take a few moments and ask yourself these questions, my heart-full friends. Let’s take this with us as we walk through this time period together because it is not easy. There is a lot to contend with as we open our doors to people who have experienced such harshness, violence, and trauma, and yet (utilizing discernment and awareness) it is our job to learn how to do so. It is our job to learn how to make it work for all of us, and in ways that benefit us all.

Ask yourself: How would I want to be received after a hellish journey that barely left me standing? Upon having violently lost so many of the people I love. Upon having finally made it to a place where I believe, pray, and hope with all that I have left in me to muster, that I can find greater freedom, and an opportunity to live, thrive and build a new life.

We ALL deserve an opportunity to live a safe, healthy, and good life, no matter what country we are from, and no matter what country we have come to in search of such reprieve. They are no different than you or me, except that they come from a different world and place, and have had experiences that we ourselves may or may not have experienced in life to this point.

None of us are immune to or exempt from such possibilities in life. Let us remember this truth. If it can happen in any place on our planet, it can happen here (wherever you are). I am a woman who was raised in a culture that still treats women as if they are secondary (I know right. As If!). All of us can stop and think of ways to accept that this is happening in our world, and we can choose not to turn a blind eye. We Are One.

Thank you for reading!

If anything has come to heart and/or mind upon reading this piece, I would love to hear from you! Please share in comments below.

Soul to Soul,

Creative Hearts Align