Thursday, March 29, 2007
What I Thought I Knew ...
Ruth. Diana. Hattie.
Three names of three women that God has brought into my life over the past months to force me to reconsider all that I thought I knew about following Christ and about "church." Their lives tell a story of brokenness that is far beyond mere poverty, or lonliness, or bad choices. Their life-stories resonate with a deep need for good news, because in their wildest imaginations ... they can't come up with any. Such deep-seeded brokenness has - in different ways for each of them - left them believing that they are less human because of their circumstances.
Robin (my wife) and I sat up late into the night after having spent some time with one of these women ... weeping and brainstorming and wondering. The place where this woman is .. everyday reality ... is so disheartening and so .. so ruined, that we both recognized that any "benevolence program" or "day of service" or "random act of kindness" would be nothing more than a sneeze in a windstorm. Pitifully lacking. Arrogantly superficial. Desperately un-Christlike.
Robin said aloud what I was thinking: "Her problems are so overwhelming. Her situation is so complicated. What can we do? And even as I ask that, I'm afraid that the answer is quite simple, and that I already know it." Hattie needs someone who will initiate a relationship that makes her more fully human. It cannot be done with a couple of bags of groceries, or a ride to "church" or help with a utility bill. Hattie needs someone to love her -- plain and simple.
And there is in that solution, great and terrible risk. Risk that I wil have to spend some of my time, or maybe some of my money. Risk that I will have to - gulp - get involved in her life. The truth is, I have always had a compassionate heart, and find ministry to the "poor" and "needy" a relatively easy place to go, but a new layer of understanding opened for me last night. Meeting needs is a demonstration of concern .. of compassion .. of care, but it is not love. Love feeds a hungry person. Not for the opportunity to "evangelize" or better yet, "moralize", but love feeds a person because they are hungry. Today. And again tomorrow. And next week. And next month. Faithfulness to Christ cannot be accomplished through even the most well meaning of programs. The institution of 'church' cannot corporately love people, and love is what ruined, broken people need most. Love needs to be transferred person to person, elbow to elbow, 'seeping into the cracks of life' one author said, to create a new reality.
I'm not sure yet, what this means for Robin and me ... but then again, I'm afraid I already know the answer and it is quite simple. More to come ....
Peace.
Three names of three women that God has brought into my life over the past months to force me to reconsider all that I thought I knew about following Christ and about "church." Their lives tell a story of brokenness that is far beyond mere poverty, or lonliness, or bad choices. Their life-stories resonate with a deep need for good news, because in their wildest imaginations ... they can't come up with any. Such deep-seeded brokenness has - in different ways for each of them - left them believing that they are less human because of their circumstances.
Robin (my wife) and I sat up late into the night after having spent some time with one of these women ... weeping and brainstorming and wondering. The place where this woman is .. everyday reality ... is so disheartening and so .. so ruined, that we both recognized that any "benevolence program" or "day of service" or "random act of kindness" would be nothing more than a sneeze in a windstorm. Pitifully lacking. Arrogantly superficial. Desperately un-Christlike.
Robin said aloud what I was thinking: "Her problems are so overwhelming. Her situation is so complicated. What can we do? And even as I ask that, I'm afraid that the answer is quite simple, and that I already know it." Hattie needs someone who will initiate a relationship that makes her more fully human. It cannot be done with a couple of bags of groceries, or a ride to "church" or help with a utility bill. Hattie needs someone to love her -- plain and simple.
And there is in that solution, great and terrible risk. Risk that I wil have to spend some of my time, or maybe some of my money. Risk that I will have to - gulp - get involved in her life. The truth is, I have always had a compassionate heart, and find ministry to the "poor" and "needy" a relatively easy place to go, but a new layer of understanding opened for me last night. Meeting needs is a demonstration of concern .. of compassion .. of care, but it is not love. Love feeds a hungry person. Not for the opportunity to "evangelize" or better yet, "moralize", but love feeds a person because they are hungry. Today. And again tomorrow. And next week. And next month. Faithfulness to Christ cannot be accomplished through even the most well meaning of programs. The institution of 'church' cannot corporately love people, and love is what ruined, broken people need most. Love needs to be transferred person to person, elbow to elbow, 'seeping into the cracks of life' one author said, to create a new reality.
I'm not sure yet, what this means for Robin and me ... but then again, I'm afraid I already know the answer and it is quite simple. More to come ....
Peace.
