Today, another friend of mine sent me a story over an email that so touched me. It was about a man named “Daniel” who walked into a town square looking every bit a homeless person. Although many people stared at him, no one really moved to say anything to him…except for one man who couldn’t shake his image and after running errands, tries to find him before going home. The man does find him and invites him to a meal where they talk about the fact that Daniel isn’t homeless but rather on a mission whereby he’s been walking for 14 years working for food…and Bibles that he passes out. You see Daniel had made some bad choices and reaped bad consequences but then he found the Lord and his life had been turned upside down…and now he simply walked from place to place, working for food and money for Bibles. This story shattered the man’s perceptions about what he thought he knew… Daniel didn’t want anything from anybody…he just wanted to obey God and live a simple life blessing others...and in living that simple life, he shattered stereotypes and blessed people in profound ways.
I don’t think I have the courage to live as Daniel does…or as Peter and James and the other apostles did. It’s a good thing we’re not all called to do things like that. What we are called to do is to love others as we love ourselves…and that is a challenge in and of itself as it is so counterintuitive.
Today I led a tour of Haven for Hope, the premier, one-of-kind homeless campus in San Antonio where people are working on efforts that should lead them back to self-sufficiency. All kinds of people live there…and since getting onto the campus, I tried really hard to smile and make eye-contact with every homeless person I saw. That was my thoughtful/mindful effort of the day…and then because of the reactions I got on the campus, I carried out my effort everywhere I went. It was a very interesting experiment.
On campus, many people don’t look at you…even if you stand right in front of them…they don’t look at you. I don’t know if it’s because they’re afraid, ashamed, or because their mind is somewhere else entirely. Of the ones that do look at you, some just stare and don’t say anything…they just look without a reaction on their face. My favorites, though, are the ones that light up and smile back and call out a greeting. They radiate an inner peace and maybe even an inner joy. I think those are the ones that realize they are more than their current circumstances.
So I left the campus, went to work, put gas in my car (in the frigid, arctic air!) and tried hard to look at people and smile. The most interesting thing is that I got pretty much the same reaction out of “normal” people! Most people didn’t look at me and of the ones that did, only a few smiled back and said hello.
Let me share this interesting tidbit. While I was putting gas in my car, a little gray car rolled out of the convenience store – backwards – onto oncoming traffic (!) until it rolled onto the sidewalk across the very busy street, hit a chain link fence and stopped. I was a bit stunned to say the least and I wasn’t quite sure what to think. I asked the man pumping gas next to me if he had witnessed what I just had and he said “yeah” in a shaky way. I asked if he would go across the street with me to check out if someone was in the car and whether or not they were okay. He said, “let me check with my wife,” who happened to be in his car. I stood there for a couple of minutes as he talked to her before I realized that I couldn’t wait. Time is of the essence if someone is having a medical emergency. So I started walking away by myself and was attempting to navigate rush-hour traffic when a lady (without a coat) stood next to me and said, “that’s my car; I guess the parking brake wasn’t on right.” Okay… She crossed the street, got into her car and drove away.
Wow! Things like that don’t happen to me often…and it really made me think of the man who was talking to his wife. Why didn’t he hurry? Why didn’t he feel the same sense of urgency that I did? What “problem” could there possibly have been that a potential human life didn’t take precedence?
Thank God it wasn’t a serious emergency…but the “what if” remains.
What happens to people that they get to a point where they can’t or won’t make eye contact with other human beings? In the alternative, what happens to people that they stop caring about other humans? How is it that “self” becomes paramount to everything and everyone else? It seems that the majority of this world is way off from operating under the “love others as you love yourself” premise. I bet if that gas-guy were having an emergency, he would hope and pray and want people to react quickly and with concern…and yet he didn’t display that for another. See what I’m getting at?
So what is the solution? How do we break the apathy in people? How do we get people to care about others?
I don't have the answers to those questions but those questions remind me of the book "All I Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten" and maybe that is where the answer lies...kindergarten. Maybe it is too late for the grownups to change...but if the grownups realize this and are willing to stand by the children and instill the golden rule to them...and reinforce it by word and example...maybe, just maybe, the next generation will begin to see the fruits that can be had by everyone (or most everyone) living a life that reflects the golden rule. For those of you that don't remember, the golden rule is "do unto others as you would have done to you." These are just my thoughts...but if you allow yourself to close your eyes...can you imagine what the world might look like then? And if you can possibly imagine that...wouldn't you find yourself slightly motivated to make a move in making that vision a reality?
They say that societal change is possible when old cultural patterns are replaced by new ones...sooooo...such a vision IS possible...if only enough people would unify towards that effort. I'm not talking about forming an army or anything! Just people that care enough to impact their sphere of influence...and if enough people with the same vision impact their sphere of influence...then eventually...change can happen.
Am I talking about death of self? No. I'm talking about respect for the sanctity of life and the respect for the lives of others - not above your own - but with the same level of concern, respect and dignity that you would have for yourself. Does that make sense?
The Lord says in Galatians 3:28, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female...FOR YOU ARE ALL ONE in Christ Jesus."
The Lord says in Galatians 3:28, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female...FOR YOU ARE ALL ONE in Christ Jesus."
Then Lord says in Isaiah 55:10-11, "as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater...so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
The Lord's word will not return void but will achieve the purpose for which He sent it...
He says in Romans 12:9-13, "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
I say - let it be so, Lord...let it be so!
Until tomorrow... Annie
No comments:
Post a Comment