Earlier this week, before leaving Oxford, I was stopped in the street by a beggar. It was the usual request which you get in Sydney; "Can you spare a couple of coins..." Out of habit I said the usual "sorry", but then the woman said "Can you buy me some groceries?" Now it's a common thing for us Christians to have the policy of saying "No money, but food is ok" so I said "ok". The woman called her sister who was standing over the other side of the street and the five of us (me, two women, their two kids) went to the supermarket. Then they filled up their trolley with the absolute necessities (milk, cereal, bread) and I thought "gosh...they really are in need". I asked what the story was. Bridget said that she and her sister (Margaret) had just left their abusive Father, and were living in a one room bed-sit; seven of them in all. I looked at one of the kids and saw that he had a bath towel for a blanket. I asked what they were doing for rent, Bridget said "I don't know". So I gave them some cash to get them by until the end of the week.
Now this whole thing got me thinking about how screwed up people's lives can get, and how we can so easily walk by a beggar and think "they're a professional beggar, they don't really need this" when in fact they might actually be really desperate. As I was buying the groceries I was shocked to feel myself constantly thinking "They're ripping you off", when a sober judgment of the situation lead me to conclude that they were genuine. Now it might be possible that it was just an elaborate con to get me to buy groceries and then to get some cash at the end...but I really don't think this was the case. So what about all those other beggars who we brush so easily? Maybe it's better to risk getting conned for the sake of grace. Is this a way we can live out the Biblical concept of grace triumphing over evil? I think it might be.
Please pray for Bridget and Margaret, that they will somehow get things back on track.
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4 comments:
hi marty! intense. I wholeheartedly agree with your comment that perhaps we should just let ourselves be conned every now and then for the sake of grace. In a fabulous book - the name of which currently escapes me - a girl describes her Father's tendency to get ripped off as a result of his continuous generosity to the less fortunate as his 'paying rent to his ideals, his faith in hunanity.' Not exactly what we're talking about, but I like that a lot. Besides, in Luke 6:30 I think Jesus is pretty clear in telling us to give to those who ask, even to those who steal from us.
my general vibe is better to be ripped off, than to deny a needy person.
ahh hah! so, you didn't pick my disguise!
Fiz!!! What's happening girl? Yeah Luke 6.30 is pretty challenging. also vs v32ff...is easy to love those who love us, but loving those who we don't know or even hate us? Yikes. Loving with no prospect of love in return is hard work. BTW, did you go on Brightwaters this year? My good friend Luther was giving the talks, he was working hard on them last I spoke to him. Hope it was a good week. See you soon.
Jeltzz: How's the latin african going? Hope he's not proving too difficult. When are you moving back in?
Mike: You tricker. The hipster jeans threw me.
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