The other night we were sitting on a pedestrian overpass with a family we know well. I'll share more about these friends and others soon, but something else is on my mind right now. As we were sitting with the family, talking to the mother and playing with the kids, three Asian (but not Thai) men walked by. One could not help staring at us, and as the others passed he stopped and said, "Excuse me, what you are doing is a very good thing. Very good thing. You are good people. God bless you." Then he turned and left.
This isn't the first time this has happened, though it is rare compared to other reactions. Most people just stare in apparent confusion as they continue walking. A few (mostly motorcycle guys) laugh at us. Many others ignore us completely. Occasionally someone stops and gives food or money to the people we're with. But to stop and say anything at all to us is quite rare. When someone has stopped, it is always to tell us how nice it is that we're doing what we're doing.
They mean well. But we are not "good" people. We are sinners like everyone else, weak in many ways, and I personally struggle with my weaknesses and faults as much or more in my service here as anyone I know. There is little difference between us and all those (whether they're here or in America) who walk right on by the homeless, the hungry, the orphan, the widow, and the stranger every day. The only reason we're out there is that someone (be it a friend, author, preacher, or the Holy Spirit) helped us to realize that loving and befriending the poor is an absolutely central part of Christ's message (see Matthew 11:2-6, Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 10:25-37, Luke 14:7-24, Luke 16:19-31, Hebrews 13:1-3, James 1:27-2:26, 1 John 3:11-18), and we realized that we had no reason not to do it. There are many, many people who follow Christ much more faithfully than I, but something about modern culture has hidden this particular part of Christ's message from the eyes and ears of many of those who otherwise give so much to God.
God is a friend of the poor, and calls us to befriend them as well. I thank God that He has led me to this service.
This isn't the first time this has happened, though it is rare compared to other reactions. Most people just stare in apparent confusion as they continue walking. A few (mostly motorcycle guys) laugh at us. Many others ignore us completely. Occasionally someone stops and gives food or money to the people we're with. But to stop and say anything at all to us is quite rare. When someone has stopped, it is always to tell us how nice it is that we're doing what we're doing.
They mean well. But we are not "good" people. We are sinners like everyone else, weak in many ways, and I personally struggle with my weaknesses and faults as much or more in my service here as anyone I know. There is little difference between us and all those (whether they're here or in America) who walk right on by the homeless, the hungry, the orphan, the widow, and the stranger every day. The only reason we're out there is that someone (be it a friend, author, preacher, or the Holy Spirit) helped us to realize that loving and befriending the poor is an absolutely central part of Christ's message (see Matthew 11:2-6, Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 10:25-37, Luke 14:7-24, Luke 16:19-31, Hebrews 13:1-3, James 1:27-2:26, 1 John 3:11-18), and we realized that we had no reason not to do it. There are many, many people who follow Christ much more faithfully than I, but something about modern culture has hidden this particular part of Christ's message from the eyes and ears of many of those who otherwise give so much to God.
God is a friend of the poor, and calls us to befriend them as well. I thank God that He has led me to this service.
2 comments:
And now I have to add an update. Were you guys praying for us or something? Just last night, we had a father and child sit down and clearly want to play with us (though the mother was urging them to keep walking), and we had a white foreigner squat down and personally hand out bananas to both kids as well as a little money. Both interactions were the kindest I'd seen so far, and other people seemed most interested than usual as well. It was a blessing.
And then the next night we have another beggar on the streets come over and sit with us while we're talking to a family, and then the next time we had a Thai guy stop and translate for us, and also tell us more about the lives of beggars in Thailand. Such an interesting transition in just a week.
Post a Comment