I've never seen eyes so hungry and desperate for food. The beggar slid onto the seat of a man who had just paid his bill and quickly consumed his leftover bowl of half-eaten noodles. After watching the beggar move on in his never-ending search to fill his emptiness, my attention fell on a man whose eyes were not hungry. 

This man was enveloped in an air of self-sufficiency, wearing a slick leather jacket and talking into his iPad, while he consumed his dinner. When the beggar appeared at his side like a pesky insect and would not leave, this man called out in annoyance to the owner of the stall, as he waved his chopsticks in the air, “Do something about this beggar here!” He had zero tolerance for the lowest of the low. 

One man's hands were full; we might even say “overflowing.” The other man, seeking charity and leftovers, had weatherworn hands that remained open and empty. One seemed to have no needs, while the other was keenly aware of them. 

And the best part of this story is that Jesus loved them both.

I think when Jesus said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23) and compared that difficulty with a camel trying to fit through the eye of a needle, he communicated that the rich naturally have hands that are full. In order to receive the gift of eternal life, our hands must be emptied. Like the hands of a beggar.

If we are able to hold all of our treasures on earth with open hands before God, willing for Him to take them away as He sees best, then “things” will not have a hold on us.

What a difference it makes for us to acknowledge that WE are actually the lowest of the low. When we can recognize our desperation, our thirstiness, and our need for Jesus, then He is able to give us new life, quench our thirst, and fill us with Himself. He delights to meet our needs, when we come to him with open hands, because of His deep and never-ending love for us.