It was my first day on the Mercy Mission and I was a little nervous. I had been praying for this mission and was hopeful for fruitful encounters, but stepping into this for the first time I was unsure of what to expect. Halfway through our time, we walked by a building with a large balcony. Someone’s possessions were underneath the balcony and a large blanket was there with a possible human shape underneath. I thought we would keep going by, as it was unclear if anyone was there, or if someone was they could be asleep or incoherent. However as we walked by my mission partner stopped and said, “Hey, would you like some coffee?”

Immediately, a man lifted the blanket off, revealing himself to be a middle aged Latino man, wearing a suit jacket. Upon first perception I was completely taken aback. Is a professional businessman hiding beneath this blanket? Who is this man?

Though on closer look the man’s appearance was far more disheveled and the suit jacket was another means of warmth that he had acquired, the Lord revealed to me in that moment part of the veil that covers us. In physical terms it is as though we are all covered in a blanket of this world, composed of our sufferings, trials, and experiences. Each of our blankets are unique, heavy, and block those around us and ourselves from seeing what is beneath. However, Isaiah states in Isaiah 62:10, “...He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of His righteousness.” Beneath each of our blankets is ourselves and the suit jacket of Christ that we are robed in.

This answered the questions I had when initially perceiving the man. As to being a businessman, he very well could have been previously to this stage of his life. He has his unique blanket, history, and story of his own. And through it all, no matter how his appearance changed, no matter how other people perceive him, he is a child of God. Robed in Christ. Answering these questions opened up new questions for me. How often do I misunderstand others because I am viewing the blanket that is over them instead of themselves? What does my blanket look like? What is preventing me from letting others see the light of Christ that is in me?

This idea stayed with me as I continued the mission and got the privilege of encountering many more friends living on the streets. Friends with blankets over them that are simply more physically visible than my own. It also struck me as I continued missioning how quickly we are able to see partly under the veil of someone’s worldly sufferings. With simple acknowledgement, the question of a cup of coffee, I have been able to perceive humanity and dignity more clearly. When others, like that man, toss off the blanket and reply, “Sure, I’ll have some coffee.”

~Allyson Bomber
Allyson spent a month with the Mercy Mission this spring

The Blankets that Cover Us