Operation Homeless

  What is your first initial, internal thought when you read Operation Homeless?
  I think of a plan. A thought out, pre-arranged, detailed design.

   She got the job. Maybe not the one she had particularly favored, but after having an interview with her new boss, she was ecstatic. She and her mom celebrated and decided to go to Starbucks especially for this moment.
   As they shifted into park, she noticed a homeless man sitting right outside of the coffee shop. The clothes he wore were much too big for him and were very dirty. His soleless shoes were ripped and seemed uncomfortable to walk around in all day. He had two bags of which, assumingly, consisted of items that he collected and probably kept him alive.  He had a scraggly, grey beard and was certainly unclean. His eyes were beautiful. A mute turqoise blended with a caribbean blue. They were striking against his rugged and weathered features. How unique.
   He was a sight to behold. She immediately felt compassion and almost wished she could have sat with him and given him all new clothes and a meal. This was a man who had no job, no home, and hardly clothes she'd call fit for this type of weather. Just knowing that she had only gotten hired for a job not even 30 minutes prior, and that she was walking into a store to buy herself warm coffee made her sick to the stomach.
   They entered an atmosphere with so many strong aromas enriching the slight draft, her eyes wandered over at the pastries, the flavors of coffee written in chalk, and the abundant bags of ground beans displayed all around.
  Then, almost casually, a whisper with the power of a shout spoke to her:

   You should buy him a cup of warm coffee.
  She clung to that idea. An optimistic, smiling barista welcomed her to the counter. She ordered three drinks.

One for her mother.
One for herself.
One for him.

  While the concoctions were being poured, shaken, and mixed with many flavorful shots, she frequently peered out of the windows to keep herself certain that he was still out there.

  Two of the drinks were handed to them; however both were their own.  His drink was still not served yet.  She peeked one more time, unaware that that was going to be the last time she saw him.

  Finally. His drink was given to them.

  They walked outside in complete disbelief: he was nowhere.

   In the amount of time between when she'd last looked at him and when they walked outside, it would have been a truly amazing thing for him to have gotten far by walking. 
  They circled the building, walked around the whole parking lot, but found no one. They climbed into their truck and drove all around, but came to a stalemate.

  He had vanished and was gone.

  Then at once, another whisper entered her mind:

   That was Me.

Matthew 25:31-40
  When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’