Unto One of the Least of These

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”  Matt. 25:40

Recently, I watched the beautiful concept of this scripture unfold right before my eyes.  I travel quite often with a program called Time Out for Women.  This particular trip took us to Phoenix, Arizona.  I typically travel with the other presenters and musicians who are participating in the event.  On this trip I had the privilege of traveling with Cherie Call, Abe Mills, John Hilton III, and Jenny Frogley.  They are all wonderful people and each time we are at the same event, it is like seeing old friends.

After arriving and checking in at our hotel, Jenny, John and I decided to grab dinner before the Friday night event.  We briefly explored warm, downtown Phoenix and found a restaurant not far from our hotel.  We were seated on an outdoor patio and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner and fun conversation.  John teaches a couple of Book of Mormon classes at BYU, so he quizzed Jenny and me on some of the questions that his students were going to face on an upcoming test.  Jenny captivated John and me with stories from recent music experiences. 

As we wrapped up the conversation and took our last few bites, Jenny and I noticed we still had half of our meals left.  Jenny asked for a box.  I asked her why she needed a box – was she going to eat the rest of her dinner later that night or maybe for breakfast?  No.

She wanted to box it up and give it to one of the homeless people she had seen on the way to the restaurant.

Wow.

That hadn’t even crossed my mind.  I was satisfied to let the extra food be cleared and sent down the sink back in the kitchen.  I was full.  But it hadn’t occurred to me that someone not thirty feet away from me might not be.

I was so touched by Jenny’s thoughtfulness. I decided to get a box for my food too.  But I didn’t have the courage to approach someone and make the offer.  I asked Jenny if she would do it for me.  As you might guess, she was more than happy to oblige. 

So I watched.

As we left the restaurant, I really wanted to know, to learn, how Jenny was going to do this.  If it were up to me, I would probably walk up to someone and clumsily say, “I just ate some of this food – it’s really good, but I couldn’t finish it all.  Half of it is left.  You probably don’t want my left-overs, but do you?  I don’t think it has too many of my germs…” 

Not Jenny – she knew just what to do.  She walked up to the first man she saw and holding out the box of food, simply said, “Could you use some food?”

The man gladly and gratefully accepted.  He was sincerely appreciative.  And before we could walk five more feet, another man who had seen the offering, asked Jenny if he could have the other box. 

I was so thankful for and humbled by Jenny’s example.  I learned some important lessons by watching what came so naturally to her. 

Hopefully, if I have a similar opportunity down the road, and even if Jenny isn’t there to help me be brave, I’ll do what I know she would do.