“Wheh, Muzungu! You have a bomb!” A young man shouts at me, standing by the parked car with his friends.

“Oh. It’s water.” He says when he got a closer look at my water bottle hanging from my backpack. The dark color of the bottle made it hard to see the contents.

I didn’t even slow my pace as I walked by. I wasn’t about to start talking to these young men. “You never know what will happen in downtown Nairobi!” I think to myself. From people coming up to me in the middle of the street just trying to start conversation to beggars there are so many things to get you sidetracked from the things that you are there to do. I remember the countless times that someone had come up to me and begged for something…
“Hello! You’re from America?” “How is Kenya?” “You’re not cold? How do you like the climate here?” These are just some of the questions that are asked along the street by individuals that just seem anxious to talk to an foreigner. Other times someone will just come and try to shake hands like they are an old friend…

The danger with this is that once someone starts talking to you then it appears that you know them and I understand that often they will try to grab for something in your pocket, perhaps your phone, or money, or anything else they can grab. When I first came it was hard not to talk to people, but now with all the work that I’ve been having to do and the experience I have had, it’s different. When they come and try to talk, I just keep walking being careful in case they grab at something. If someone is begging, I sometimes give something.

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I see in these situations an object lesson. When we are in the walk of life, there are many things to distract us. The devil takes advantage of everything he can. Distractions may come in form of people, but often they come in the form of things such as money, and material things, sometimes even comfort. We become absorbed in the things that we think will give us satisfaction… But the reality is that these things actually detour us from our destination. Instead of becoming distracted by the things of this life, we must always keep our eye single toward one purpose… That of keeping on the strait and narrow way, and bringing along as many others as we can.

Another thing that we can learn from these scenarios is that some people want to just get your attention and distract you, while others are actually needy. Sometimes it may be difficult to tell which is which, but there are still people who have never caught a glimpse of the strait and narrow Way. They are shut up in spiritual darkness. They have no option, no choice, and unless someone helps them they will continue that way forever! These ones deserve our time and effort to bring them into the Way.

Oh that God would give us discernment to see between the ones that are needy and the others. If we could just catch a glimpse of the world the way that God sees it.