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I Used To Walk Right By, Too | My Journey Of Finally Seeing The Hunger On Our Streets

The Story I Didn’t Want to See

I’ll be honest with you. For years, I walked past people holding cardboard signs on street corners and bus stops with barely a second thought. I’d look down, keep walking, maybe mumble a polite “sorry,” but I rarely stopped. Deep down, I told myself stories to feel better—They’ll probably spend it wrong. Someone else will help. I don’t have enough to give anyway.

It wasn’t that I didn’t care. It was that I didn’t want to feel the weight of what their hunger might demand of me. But one day, God stopped me in my tracks.

I saw a man sitting outside a grocery store with a sign that simply said, Hungry. Please help. His face wasn’t desperate; it was tired. His hands were rough. And suddenly, I couldn’t walk by. I saw him—not just as a problem, but as a person.

And that’s where my journey began.

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Learning to See With God’s Eyes

In the Gospels, Jesus has a way of stopping for people others avoid. Whether it’s a blind man crying out by the roadside (Luke 18:35–43) or a hungry crowd with nothing to eat (Matthew 14:13–21), He doesn’t walk past. He notices.

When Jesus says in Matthew 25:35, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,” He’s showing us that when we respond to hunger, we are actually meeting Him. Hunger is not just a social issue—it’s a spiritual encounter.

The Old Testament reminds us too:

• “If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness.” (Isaiah 58:10)

• “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” (Proverbs 19:17)

These verses remind me that seeing hunger with God’s eyes is not about guilt—it’s about invitation. Invitation into light. Invitation into blessing. Invitation into the heart of God.

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The Hidden Stories Behind Hunger

What I began to learn is that hunger doesn’t always look the way we imagine. Sometimes it’s the man on the street corner. But other times, it’s a single mom quietly skipping meals so her kids can eat. It’s a teenager who stays late at school because the only reliable meal is the free lunch. It’s an elderly neighbor stretching canned goods to last the week.

They don’t want pity. They want to be seen, respected, and remembered. Hunger is not their identity—it’s a circumstance. And in the middle of it, many show a resilience that humbles me. I’ve met men and women who share half a sandwich with someone else in need, even when it’s all they have. I’ve seen mothers turn scarcity into a feast of creativity and love.

When I finally slowed down long enough to listen, I realized: hunger does not erase dignity. If anything, it shines a light on the incredible strength people carry.

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Small Acts That Carry Eternal Weight

You may wonder, But what can I really do? Sometimes the problem feels too big, too tangled. But Scripture reassures us that small acts matter.

In John 6, a boy offers his five loaves and two fish. Jesus multiplies it into enough to feed thousands. That story teaches me that our role is not to fix everything—it’s to offer what we have and let God multiply it.

Here are some practical, everyday ways we can begin:

• Carry small snack bags or bottled water in your car to hand out when you see someone hungry.

• Support local food pantries or soup kitchens, even with a bag of groceries or a couple of cans.

• Volunteer your time. Sometimes your presence matters more than the food.

• Notice and listen. Make eye contact, say hello, learn a name. Seeing someone’s humanity is as nourishing as bread.

• Advocate. Share resources, raise awareness, and use your voice to make sure the hidden hunger in our communities is not ignored.

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From Guilt to Grace

The biggest shift for me was moving from guilt to grace. Guilt kept me paralyzed. Grace invited me to take one step at a time.

Psalm 146:7 says, “He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free.” God is already at work in the fight against hunger. We are simply invited to join Him.

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A Shared Mission at the Table

If you’ve ever walked by hunger on the street and felt unsure, you’re not alone. I’ve been there. But together, we can choose to notice, to care, to share.

I write these words because I believe stories can stir hearts, and hearts can change the world. If this reflection spoke to you, I’d love to invite you into this mission of compassion—through prayer, through sharing these words, through encouragement, or, if you feel led, by supporting my writing and advocacy work.

This is not my work alone—it’s a shared table we are building, one act of kindness at a time.

So let’s not walk past anymore. Let’s see, let’s stop, let’s serve—because when we do, we just might find Jesus sitting at the table with us.

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