About a month ago, I started walking to work (a 5 mile walk) to help save money on gas (every little bit counts when you are trying to rescue two little ones), but on really rainy or snowy days I will walk the mile to the city bus stop and take the bus the rest of the way. On the first day, I got on the bus, and sat down. It was kind of exciting to take the bus (at least it is when you don't do it often). I have had to catch the bus VERY early to get to work on time, so I was not surprised to see many people doing what I thought was "napping" on the bus.But I have come to learn, they are not napping. They are trying to shut everyone out.
"Shutting people out" is not isolated to just the bus. How often do you walk down the street in the city and see a homeless person huddled under a blanket or newspaper. How often do you try to look away? Pretend they are not there? Make excuses for why they are there? It is easier to say they are only living on the streets because they drink or do drugs. Our church hosts something called "Who". It is the Winter Hospitality Overflow. Basically, during the winter months, when the shelters overflow, our church will set up the gym to accommodate the homeless. I have been blessed to have volunteered to help with the WHO guests. These people are homeless. I got to meet a lady and her THREE kids... they are not homeless because of drugs, or alcohol. They are homeless because she lost her job. Her children are young, too young to be left home alone. And when they got sick, she would have to take off work to stay home with them. Since she had a min. wage job, she had no benefits. This means that when she does not work, she doesn't get paid. No money, means no gas for her car to get her to work. No car to get her to work means no job. You can see the endless cycle. Needless to say, due to having to take off work to care for her children when they were sick, she no longer has a job. No job means no way to pay rent. Which means you are suddenly finding yourself homeless.
But of course, it is a lot easier to just say that it is their fault they are homeless. That way, we can ignore the fact that seeing them on the side of the road makes us uncomfortable, and we can walk away without thinking anything else about it.
But that is not the only thing I have seen. Throughout our adoption, it has become very clear who is supportive, and who is not. Some of these people actually admitted that they are uncomfortable with people who have a disability. I have been told by these people that others will "stare" at the children I am bringing home. I have been told to expect "name calling". And that I should get use to it. WHAT???
What kind of world have we become, when we can ignore those in need because it does not fit into what we want our world to look like?
I am asking something very simple... do not ignore those in need. BE UNCOMFORTABLE!! If you ARE uncomfortable, that means that you are being called to action. DO NOT become immune to suffering or things that are different.
As Mother Teresa says so well, "If you judge people, you have no time to love them." "When Christ said: ''I was hungry and you fed me,'' he didn't mean only the hunger for bread and for food; he also meant the hunger to be loved. Jesus himself experienced this loneliness. He came amongst his own and his own received him not, and it hurt him then and it has kept on hurting him. The same hunger, the same loneliness, the same having no one to be accepted by and to be loved and wanted by. Every human being in that case resembles Christ in his loneliness; and that is the hardest part, that's real hunger."ther
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