‘Drive-Thru Jesus’: Deputy gets it right outside Bluffton Chick-fil-A

Let’s call it Drive-Thru Jesus.

I went to the Chick-fil-A in Bluffton, but got a take-out of humankind at its best instead.

On the way in, I saw out of the corner of my eye a woman standing at an intersection, a piece of cardboard in her hand.

On my way out, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office vehicle that had been ahead of me in the drive-thru line had stopped where the thin woman stood.

There were no blue lights, handcuffs or Tasers.

The officer was getting back into his patrol car when I pulled up behind him.

As he drove off, the woman looked into a bag. She pulled out a large salad. She smiled, closed her eyes and looked to the sky. The warm sunshine of a late “Indian Summer” day reflected off her face. It’s an image I cannot shake, maybe don’t want to.

Her cardboard sign said, “I Just Need a Little Help. Thank You and God Bless.”

I would have driven by her with nothing to share, probably averting my eyes as I smelled my warm chicken noodle soup.

The deputy’s quiet action won’t make the nightly news, of course.

But it should.

GEORGE FLOYD

I told that story on Facebook last September.

It hit a nerve, with 557 reactions, 108 comments and 225 shares.

Most readers were glad to see a glimmer of goodness in the chaos that was America.

Every soul had been rocked by the video of a Minneapolis cop’s knee on George Floyd’s neck. Floyd died, and streets erupted with protests against police and racism.

This quiet act by a single deputy at Chick-fil-A clashed with the tone of the day.

It is common to see people asking for help at busy intersections in Beaufort County.

One Facebook reader noted, “Too many of us are guilty of passing on the other side of the road.”

Another said, “This has made me aware of something I can do without giving money.”

And another: “A very special thanks to the sheriff’s deputy who took the time to do God’s work.”

‘HELP WANTED’

But others pointed out that “Help Wanted” signs are in almost every store here.

One person had offered this woman a job.

Several had seen others asking for a little help after they’d gotten out of expensive vehicles. They’d seen them move to corners all over the Lowcountry.

“I love to be kind to people, but when is asking for help and not getting a job ‘really’ your job?” one reader asked.

Another said: “Me? I need a haircut. Me? I’m borrowing money to keep the business afloat, a roof over my head, gas in my car, pay a $500+ monthly health insurance bill. I guess when the time comes for me to find a corner, a Sharpie and a piece of cardboard, maybe I will add actress to my resume too.”

Still another: “I don’t believe the people that realllllly need money stand on the corners.”

PANHANDLING LAWS

But this wasn’t a story about the lady with the sign.

I never even talked to her.

What to do about people like her has spurred new laws in our county, and around the state.

The deputy’s action was the story.

More to the point, my inaction was the story.

He did the right thing. I did not.

“It is a waste of time to judge,” one person wrote on Facebook.

“If we are not inspired to give then we can lift them up in prayer and trust that God will work in their lives in His right timing.”

Mostly, this non-giver agreed with the person who said:

“It’s easy to be cynical and I have been on the giving side and the cynic side as well on different occasions, but maybe sometimes the person who is giving feels more blessed than the recipient. It’s a good feeling to help.”

It’s Easter now. The cop in Minneapolis is on trial.

And I’m still feeling guilty.

David Lauderdale may be reached at LauderdaleColumn@gmail.com.

This story was originally published April 4, 2021 at 6:30 AM.