It's hard to look at brokenness. It's just an ugly thing to look at. We start to hear ourselves say, that's just one more kid that won't make adulthood. That's just one more young girl that was robbed of her dignity. I think oftentimes, including myself, want to just avoid seeing at all.
How often do we see the guy on the street that asks you for a dollar to take the bus for the fourth day in a row?? I know we can't do for everyone, but at times i think our hearts are so hard. According to God, every life carries weight, because we bear His image.
I think when see them, we are left with a choice to do something, to pray, or just keep looking the other way.
One of my favorite stories is in the Old Testament, the woman Hagaar who was driven out by Sarah, with her boy out into the desert with no one to hear his cries. But God sends an angel out there to help her, and she says in her gratefulness, "this is the God who sees me".
Jesus told us whatever we do to the least of these we do to Him.
I'm glad He sees my brokenness and yet He sees more than this still...
7 comments:
Hey sis!!! Great blog and great pictures. Who is that handsome guy? Oh wait, thats me! Our lesson tonight at church was about the Sudan. It was a great talk. Makes me want to go help you and the Sudanese people. I will talk
jen- two things.
1. "Yes" and "yes" and "how?" to your comment about sufjan stevens.
2. tell me when i need to be waiting by the phone and i will post myself with vigilance.
little bro: i like the pics, despite the fact you are wearing one of those interesting, speedo looking bike outfits :) have fun at the lighthouse tonight. love love...
devina - i will send you my snail mail addy so you can send me some sufjian musak (i didn't realize he was apart of danielson famile!)
i can call you tonight, i get free minutes after 7 pm ET.
Can't wait to chat! jdd
thanks christy, tell brandon i say hello... hey - weren't you supposed to send me some myriam pics, i wanna see some baby pictures!!!
Hey!!1 It is so great to hear form you! Tiffany an dI miss an dlov eyou soo much! It is great to get back in touch! Please know that I will try to email soon...until that time know that you are in our thoughts and prayers! Take care and God bless ya!
sufjan stevens = the shiz. . .i get most of his stuff via iTunes, so I don't have a cd to let you borrow. . .but i have posted his two volume christmas project that he released for free via the internet for his fans. . .VERY GOOD. . here's the link: http://platter.wordpress.com/2005/12/19/a-very-sufjan-christmas/
download and enjoy. . .
re: your post, i find it hard in dc to do the right thing since i am not sure what the right thing to do is. . .for example, in my hood, there are several group homes that the city uses for people released from the psych ward at the local hospital (people that arguably should still be in the ward, but there is no room). . .plus there are a group of government housing projects in the hood as well. . .
my neighbors and friends at murky that have been here over a decade know that the regulars that camp the corners near my apartment have been begging for as long as they have lived here--some over 12 years. . .I have seen several of these people driving their car around after a "long days work". . .
when i first moved here, i started out trying to help these people in my hood---twice i tried buying lunch for two different regulars, and each time they actually cussed me out--one said they didn't like sandwiches (bought them quiznos) and the other said he didn't want the food i gave him but needed money "for his kids at home" (this particular guy was VERY old and waaaaaay past child bearing days). . .
and from talking to my friend who is a cop in this ward of DC, he says the people in the group homes that most of the beggars are from have all their needs provided for them by the government. . .same thing with the projects---where they get food stamps and have just about every bill subsidized by the taxpayers. . .
so i am a bit torn---i know they don't need money for their basic living needs. . .and i do not want to fund activities and habits that are harmful to their health (spiritually and physically). . .
its a conundrum. . .i wish there were a local social service type ministry that i could send them to that would help them learn how to fill out job applications or give them community service projects where they can actually earn some keep and learn responsibility and build a little self-respect. . .something positive with long-term benefits. . .something that doesn't patronize their unhealthy lifestyle but encourages them to make better choices. . .
in houston, my old church, eclessia, started a food pantry and clothes ministry---and they gave these wooden tokens to the congregation that lived in montrose. . .any time a person was out begging for money, they could give them a token--rather than cash--to be used for food and clothing. . .i thought this was brillant---you can really help the down-and-out instead of funding bad choices and habits that were likely keeping them down-and-out. . .
anyways, there isn't an easy answer. . .
Hey platter - Thanks for link!! about your response, very true, and it's so great that you would take the time to think of ways of helping. yeah i know, it's not easy at all, in fact i have thought about some of those things as well. I guess my main beef with myself is that since it's hard to come up with viable solutions, i find myself looking at people who "get lost in the cracks" as permanently lost. that they don't have alot of hope of being reached. My heart is to look at them with renewed hope, because when we do that, I think sometimes God can do some cool stuff thru renewed vision, albeit the obstacles are many. i know i'm polly anna man :) i just like to root for the underdog.
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