By Denise Briscoe

Today I reached my 300th guest. What does that mean? That means I have had the amazing privilege to get to know 300 beautifully made women, and sometimes their children, one on one while building a relationship with them. I have worked with Atlanta Mission at The Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children for three and a half years now. I have been a staff ambassador for two of those years to women experiencing homelessness. As I think of all the individuals I have had to opportunity to sit with and talk to, I am overwhelmed with a full heart.

God has blessed me to get to see some very talented ladies. I’ve sat in a room with a woman that was born to be on a stage singing her heart. I could sit and listen to her sing and hang onto every word of the gospel song that came out of her mouth. I’ve listened to an amazing singer/songwriter/guitarist and seen her heart for people. I know she is going out into her community with her music to bring hope to all those around her. I’ve been given the opportunity to lead different classes that turned into a mix of Spoken Word, poems, and true words coming from the heart about whatever topic we were learning that day. I could see the wheels turning in creativity as women used art to express themselves, whether that be with painting, coloring, or drawing.

Why am I telling you this? Because all too often it’s easier to just not look at a person for who they really are. We are always so quick to judge someone because of the situation we think we “know” they are in. When we look at the “messy” in people’s lives, we don’t really want to touch that. When that happens though, we miss out on their beauty.

I want to challenge you today. I want you to go out into the world and look at people for who they really are. Don’t just look at the woman on the street as just another “homeless person”. Look at each one as the amazing person that God created them to be. See people and love them well.