The Poor Will Always Be With You

Tonight, a woman came to the door. I know her well; she frequently comes to ask for an item or help with something. She said she had hit herself in the eye and had been to the hospital. Her eye had what looked like a large bruised cyst below it, and I could tell by the way she was holding her head that she was in pain. I asked her how I could help her. I thought she might need help buying medicine or maybe reading directions. She said she already had the medicine she needed; then I remembered she has government insurance so when she comes for help with doctor bills or medications, it is usually for her children who do not have insurance. She said her head was hurting like a migraine and asked if I had any fruit or anything like that. I looked at her with her youngest child (4 years) of 5 sitting next to her on the bench and I understood-she had food at home at the moment but because her head was hurting so badly she didn’t want to have to go home and cook it. Cooking dry beans from scratch is never fast but if she happens to be out of gas which happens fairly often for her, then she would have to build the fire first to cook them over. I went to see what I had in our pantry and brought her some canned fruit and crackers. She looked at me with such relief. I prayed with her and told her what a special person she is; silent tears streamed down her cheeks.

I walked back to my kitchen with my baby girl and empathy just flooded me. How would it feel to be that grateful for canned fruit and crackers? When I feel bad or even am just a little tired, I have so many possibilities that I could feed my family without that much effort on my part. I mean really, how would that feel to only have beans, rice, or noodles with homemade tortillas on a good day to feed my family?

Sometimes I get a little hardened to some of the people here. I think if they would just have a little more initiative or creativity or responsibility or…then they wouldn’t be in quite as bad of a situation as they are in. I’m so grateful when God floods me with His grace to break off the hardened places in my heart. I’m no bible scholar, but I don’t recall Jesus ever saying that we should only help the poor if they act a certain way, follow our advice, do their part to help themselves, etc. I do, however, recall Jesus saying that the poor will always be with us and that we are to serve the poor, love the poor, show mercy to the poor, and give preference to the poor. It has really struck me this year in missions that it is not my job to fix the situation of the people I encounter. It is my job to love the people and show mercy to the people that appear before me. And many times that includes lightening their burden on this earth by sharing food, repairing roofs, and buying medications. Sometimes it even means brainstorming possibilities and exploring opportunities to help them meet their own needs. But God is the judge and the fixer. He is the one that makes the broken whole. My role is the lowly servant, and it is with trust and faith in our God that I pray for the people who come for help. Because He gives us the hope of Heaven and He can move mountains at any moment in this life. And I will choose with the help of His grace to fulfill my role of sharing His love and His mercy with each person I encounter. Praise you Jesus!

Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’   Matthew 25: 34-40

With love in Christ,
Lisa

The edge of one of the small neighborhoods here in General Cepeda