Monday 26 October 2009

the one in front of you

This weekend I was in the central market with some friends. It's always a busy, over crowded place... and I imagine it's similar to some places Jesus walked. Bujumbura's lame, crippled and diseased are placed there to beg for money and I just want to walk around and pray for everyone. But this time one particular scene caught me. At my feet sat a little girl, probably 7 or 8, but she was hardly a girl... more like a creature. Her arms were amputated and she had one foot. She sat in the dirt with a box by her feet begging for money. As my friends and I walked by I thought "no, not this one..." I had to stop and give her the dignity of a human being. So I bent down and stroked her cheek and told her she was beautiful. I had to touch the one no one else would. And I think that moment will be forever ingrained in my memory. She smiled and for two seconds we were just two people looking at each other. And in that moment I just saw what Jesus saw, a person in need of love. My moment was disturbed by a voice from above saying in English "give her money." Without out thinking I stood up, looked him in the eye and said, "you giver her money and I'll match whatever you put in." Everything in me was thinking "she is Your person too... don't make this the white-man's problem to deal with." Suddenly it was a market show down and everyone stopped to watch. Sure enough he pulled some money out of his wallet and dropped it into her box. So I did the same.

I really think Jesus wants us to be creative in how we give. It's not about tossing money into a box... and then quickly moving on so we can forget about the problems in this world. I think he wants us to love people, and engage with others as humans... and out of that place do what comes next. It might be a meal, it might be a glass of water, or it could just be a hug. Maybe it is giving to an organization you know is doing what you're not able to. But if we separate ourselves too far from our giving it is so easy for the heart to miss what the head just did.

I want to remain spiritually, emotionally, physically, economically, whatever... available to the needs of people. And never be too busy or rush pass an opportunity to love a person in front of me.

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