Tanya M. Wilson
360You
Like a lot of people, I have been following the story of Ted Williams, “the man with the golden voice.” To think that in a week’s time, he could go from homelessness living in a tent, to celebrity status with a housing assistance and job offers, is truly amazing.
I am so happy for his mother and family who have endured his struggles. He now has been given another shot at having a life that, if handled properly, can prove positive for both he and his family.
My problem, despite my happiness, is being challenged on a number of other fronts. Don’t get me wrong, I want Ted to have a better life and I am not at all surprised that this would happen. The Lord is like that, He will move and when He does, it is often suddenly. The power of prayer never fails. We see a mother who prayed for over twenty years for her son, even when he didn’t want to hear from her about her God, she continued to pray. God answered their prayer, not only in the midst of the newfound stardom, but all the years that he was on the streets addicted to drugs and alcohol, He kept him.
The story of Ted is not an exclusive one. On the streets of this country, so many homeless men and women are often assumed to have no real value to society, or are judged wrongly. I can’t help but wonder if Ted didn’t have a voice that someone else could benefit from, if his tent would now be vacant. The voice will bring dollars to Ted, along with housing, but it will also pay dividends to the networks that have embraced him and offered him jobs. Kraft Mac and Cheese, for example, is bound to sell a lot of Mac and Cheese just because of Ted.
Matthew 25:25-35 speaks to all of this. The verses provoke thought in terms of what would we do when running across the homeless, the hungry, the naked or the imprisoned. The Lord reminds us that whatever we do in those situations, that the least of them is a part of His family and what is done to or for them, is done to or for Him.
So, while I am happy for Ted and his family; this story gives us an opportunity to reassess our thought process. I’m not suggesting we hit the streets holding auditions for the next latest and greatest, but I am suggesting that at the very least, we pray for our brothers and our sisters that are standing in a place that any one of us could easily land. In the words of Kirk Franklin “It could’ve been me Lord, out there with no food and no clothes……….”
Read more columns by Tanya Wilson, an inspirational speaker based in Charlotte. Find her on Facebook.
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