If you're anything like me, whenever you hear the phrase “the least of these” you immediately think of those commercials with sad hungry kids and homeless people sitting on the streets.

It's something I feel a bit removed from for even though I've volunteered at soup kitchens, tried street ministry, and even worked at a homeless church for a few months. It's hard not to think of “the least of these” as a brand, which encompasses a group of people who are down-and-out. When you can look at a group instead of individuals you can hold it at arms length and see a problem to solve instead of a person to love.

Jeremy Postal wrote about this in his article Learning from “The Least of These.” It wasn't until he formed a relationship with a homeless man he learned about true generosity. There is always someone less fortunate than you. Even if you are the stereotypical “least of these.”

I wondered then as I wonder now if he saw me as the needy one. Was I the one who was really being helped? Barry opened my eyes to injustice and true charity. In him I saw a person, not The Homeless. I appreciated for the first time someone who would give literally everything away to care for someone in need. I saw generosity deeper and richer than I'd seen, or have ever witnessed since. Barry taught me about courage and he dragged me out of my comfort zone into a real world that didn't involve cappuccinos and clever youth ministry games.

Maybe you're feeling like you don't have much to share with others—you're not rich, you don't have extra rooms, and you're pretty busy. Even if we feel like we have nothing to spare there are still ways we can serve each other. Look for those ways. Seek them out.

When Jesus comes again we will be judged on our deeds—feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, caring for the sick and broken-hearted—because the deep evidence of our faith is our actions (Matthew 25:31-46; James 2:14-18).

The next time you find yourself with an opportunity to share God's abundance with another, step out in faith and do it. Maybe it will take you out of your comfort zone. Maybe it will take you somewhere you've never been. Maybe it won't be easy. But what you can be sure of is (like Hebrews 11 says) when you step out in faith you are trusting in God as your firm foundation, which makes life worth living.