Jeremiah 22:16 says,
“He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
so all went well with him.
Is that not what it means to know me?
says the Lord.”
(Knowing God goes beyond head knowledge… and certain traditions or rituals…) Over and over, the Bible talks about God’s heart for the rejected, lonely ones… the ones who need that extra hand.
James 1:27 says,
“True and “unspotted” religion
before God our Father is this,
tend to the orphans and widows
in their distress…”
(I’m translating from Spanish…)
I believe that every child of God, who wants to be like their Father, needs to be reaching out to the needy (maybe each one of us in a different way… but involved none the less)… I absolutely love the example of Jesus Christ… He was comfortable wherever He was… not frazzled by crowds or a plethora of needs… His love and compassion are palpable to anyone who reads the Gospels. He went beyond physically healing the lady who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years -- He ever-so-kindly looked at her, gently called her “daughter” and healed her sore and wounded soul. Lepers, cast off by family and society, “untouchables” – yet Christ reached out and touched them… When people went off without thanking Him, it didn’t make Him bitter or give Him a sharp edge… After hearing about John the Baptist’s death, Jesus took off to be by himself, wanting a bit of time, space and solitude. Arriving at his destination, a multitude was there to greet Him… not with “So sorry to hear about John…” but rather hundreds and thousands of sick, needy people. I think I would have gotten in my little boat and gone the other way… or maybe given a big sigh… stiffened my jaw with resignation and “done my duty”… but Jesus Christ saw them… had compassion… healed and fed them…
Wow… I need to know Him more… my “religion” is still very stained… How does God want me to live my life? I’m not talking about “in Bolivia… or working in El Jordán”… rather HOW… Like that saying – “What’s most important is BEING… not DOING…” Where I am at right now, am I BEING that reflection of Christ? …even when I’m tired or frustrated? or when things haven’t gone my way?
I’ve been feeling frustrated and inadequate lately… God has blessed me with compassion and mercy… but I need wisdom… how to be an instrument of God’s grace in situations where I’m at a loss for words… where sometimes the good, “Christian” answers seem so “pat”… or where its easy to “help” in a superficial way – but are we really helping?
Can I paint you a couple pictures?
PICTURE ONE: Over a period of years, every week or so, three blondish kids would walk down our street - an adolescent girl and her kid brother and sister… They’d carry a bag… and ask the neighbors for food… clothes… or anything… I’d ask them if they studied… where their mom was… that I’d really like to meet her... or that they come to El Jordán and learn how to make things to sell… that I didn’t like to just give them things because then I feel like an accomplice – that I’m encouraging the kids to keep begging… and the mom to keep on sending them out…
They’d ask for water to drink… and we’d fill their empty pop bottle… and they’d be on their way…
Then they quit coming… I didn’t think too much about it - there are so many other things in my head… But… last year, in women’s jail as I walked by a young girl, something made me turn around and have a second look… I had seen those haunting, greenish eyes before… but I had no idea where… The girl turned to look at me too… “You’re from El Jordán aren’t you?”
Her name is Thalia. She is now 16 years old… her brother Caleb is 10… and the little sister is 7. Both parents were sent to jail – after being accused by social services of exploiting their children… Now the kids are scattered here and there… Thalia’s older brothers “rescued” her after months of being involved in drugs, gangs and prostitution… They dropped her off at jail to live with the mom…
Is that the answer? The parents are no longer able to exploit their kids… but neither can they take responsibility for looking after their kids – who are now completely on their own… Thalia and Caleb disappeared from jail back in February… With both parents in jail, they couldn’t do anything about it… Just last week someone found Caleb living on the streets… begging for food at the market near El Jordan… (and brought him back to jail). Someone else saw Thalia working in an “iffy” part of town, selling shoes… Also this last week, a 14 year old boy in jail tried to sexually abuse the little 7 year old girl… It’s not right!!!! Sending the kids to beg on the streets wasn’t right… but nor is it right for all this to be happening!!!
This past Wednesday, the mom looked at me through tear filled eyes, and said, “I don’t know what to do!” I didn’t know either… I just asked if I could pray for her and her kids… When I go to that “iffy” part of town, I’ll look in the shoe shops and hopefully see those haunting, green eyes. What can be done for Thalia? …Caleb? …their little sister? …their parents? What would Jesus do? What is the responsibility of the Body of Christ?
PICTURE TWO: Her real name is Lidia… but I still forget and call her “Paola”, her street name. I’ve known Paola – Lidia for many years. Jail… serious bouts of tuberculosis… fights… abuse… death of a child… didn’t help her break ties with the streets. Now she has scars, irreparable damage to her lungs, and three children to raise on her own…
She lives with her mother (twice widowed) who isn’t healthy either… and two younger sisters… They live in a neighborhood behind the jail… where their electricity (“borrowed” from the neighbors) is often cut off because they can’t afford to pay… They can’t all go out at the same time because thieves might come in and steal… Neither Lidia nor her mom are healthy enough to hold down a regular job. They raise sheep and a couple pigs… ducks and chickens that give them meat every once in a while… They bring sawdust from carpentry shops for their “stove”… (see picture) Lidia’s oldest daughter, Maria Eugenia (Mamuka) is now 11 years old… She is years behind in school because of the instability of the family… and the economic strain it is to buy her school supplies…
Mamuka, Daniel and Rebecca all crave love and attention… It isn’t because Lidia doesn’t love her children… but I think all of her energy is given to mere survival… Lidia feels responsible to financially help her mom – to repay her for a place to stay… and washing the clothes when Lidia physically is unable to do so… But where can Lidia earn money?
Lidia has an incredible gift for crochet and macramé… all crafts… She is amazing… but when something sells, money to buy more materials more often than not gets eaten… or put towards lights or water… How many purses can she sell? There isn’t always a market for them… Lately, Lidia’s lungs/breathing have been so bad that she can’t do macramé anymore… Before, she would “detour” back to the streets for a day or two… and come home with money and food for the family.
Now she doesn’t want to go back to the streets… and do the things that she used to do… even though the easy money is very tempting…
The other day I dropped by to visit unannounced… a man slipped into the room so that he wouldn’t be seen… I had already suspected that Lidia was back together with her boyfriend… so it didn’t surprise me… but it made me sad… Although he is now off the streets, he still drinks and I’m not sure what else… when they were together before, Lidia would show up with black eyes and bruises…
Lidia was embarrassed… she told me that her mom had said, “At least your kids will have something to eat!” Is that the answer? Should Lidia put up with an abusive drunk… a bad example for her kids, etc etc… just because he sometimes brings home food for the family? BUT… if Lidia tells him to get lost, what will she do when Rebecca cries for a piece of bread? …or when Daniel’s cough is so bad that he should be taken to the doctor? …or when Mamuka needs a pencil to do her homework? What is the answer? What would Jesus do? What can be done for Lidia and her family?
PICTURE THREE: There used to be a deaf and mute person who sat on the curb of a busy roundabout… He used to be there every single time I drove by… He held the same little sign each day, “I’m a deaf mute… please help me”. Sometimes the sign would be propped beside him.
I always used to think, “I wish he would work. Even if he would sell candies or clean my windshield I’d gladly pay him for it… I hate it when people just sit there and beg…”
Days, years past. I began thinking… “Someone should really SHOW him how to sell something…” “Someone needs to take the time to help him…” It crossed my mind that one day I should stop… but there just never seemed to be the time…
The little man no longer sits on that corner. Where is he?? “Maybe he is sick and he’ll be back soon…” I’ve never seen him again… Did he get run over? Did he die? Did someone teach him how to do something?
How many times do we see a need… maybe even comment on it… think of something that should, could be done… but NEVER DO ANYTHING… That ISN’T the answer. That isn’t the “true religion” that James talked about… That isn’t “knowing the Lord”.
End of Part 1…