Do you ever feel embarrassed whenever you ask something of someone?  

 I’m sure I’m not the only one who has felt this. I don’t want to inconvenience anyone or look needy at all. 

Now imagine if you’re experiencing homelessness and must resort to begging on the streets for even just a little bit of cash.  

When my friends and I go out on street walks, sometimes people approach us asking for help. Personally, I experience several emotions when this happens—disappointment in ourselves, if we are not able to give them anything; pain for their suffering; but strangely, also joy that they were brave enough to come to us with their needs, especially when we actually have the means to fulfill them for that moment.  

It’s certainly painful to see a fellow human lacking so much that he must beg for his basic needs. Such a thing should never have to happen, yet it is the reality of the world. Interestingly, I experience a sort of uplifted-ness in my heart because I can see just how brave they are. Courage is acting despite the fear, and often in these cases, the shame. And this joy also comes from the desire to give to them.  

 Our friends on the street most definitely have experienced rejection from people who pass them by. Many do not actively approach but fly signs to accept whatever generosity may come their way. Then there are those who take the initiative to explicitly make their needs known. And I believe the latter group take an extra step of courage this way—they continue to try and try again even through the shame.  

It is in this that we can take from their example, in our relationship with God.  

Ask and you shall receive 

You probably have your fair share of life’s disappointments, and you don’t want to ask God to bless you anymore. Or you’ve lowered your expectations so much that you have very little hope that He will give you the desires of your heart. You’re willing to settle for the bare minimum.  

I get it. It certainly can be a deep rut where we find ourselves stuck. For the last year, I've found myself ready to walk away from certain hopes because they've been dashed to the ground repeatedly. 

Thankfully, unlike ourselves, God is infinitely abundant in good things. And He desires to bless His children.  We do not have to be ashamed to tell Him our hopes because will never lack in fulfilling them. 

Do not be afraid to ask Him what you truly desire from the bottom of your heart. His gifts may not come exactly in the we envision, nor in the timeline we hope, but He does indeed answer and give us just what we need. He who is goodness itself, is the One for whom our hearts were created, and the greatest gift we could ever have.

Hazel Jordan is an Office & Communications Assistant at Our Lady of Lourdes. She is currently pursuing a Master's in Theology at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. A recent graduate of the University of St. Thomas, she continues to be active in the faith community there, leading and developing a street ministry program that forms students to encounter the homeless in the Twin Cities. Among other things, she is a self-taught artist and musician, proudly acquiring graphic design and guitar/songwriting skills!