Day 8 - The God Who Stays With the Least of These

   

When I was a kid, my dad often took my brothers and me into downtown Chicago for a fun day in the city. These were the first times I came face to face with homelessness. My dad had to keep telling me not to stare at the people begging for money on the busy sidewalks of the city. There was one man in particular who tugged at my heartstrings. I noticed he was blind and holding out an empty coffee cup that had a few pennies in it. I tugged at my dad’s sleeve and said, “I want to give him some of my money.” Now, I didn’t have much cash being only a kid, but something in my heart told me I should give what I had. So, I reached in my pocket, pulled out a couple of dollars and dropped them in his cup. 

A while later, our family had traveled several blocks down Michigan Avenue. I happened to notice a man who looked familiar to me flagging down the city bus. It was him! It was the blind man I had given my money to. He didn’t have the glasses anymore. His walking stick was gone. He wasn’t really blind. I felt like I had been fooled. My dad said the important thing was that I listened to my heart. He said feeling compassion for someone is never a bad thing. But that experience has caused me to think twice more often than not when it comes to handing out donations to someone who appears to be in need. ‘How do I know they’re not fooling me like that guy in Chicago did?’ ‘How do I know they’re not going to spend money on drugs or alcohol?’ I confess those thoughts sometimes trump the initial rush of compassion I feel for someone, preventing me from giving or loving someone who is hard to love. 

Cynical is no way to walk through this life. Cynicism can be the enemy of compassion. When Jesus walked the earth, He chose to stay with the overlooked, the outcasts, the underserved, and the unwelcome. Here are a few examples:

Jesus stayed with tax collectors and thieves. (Mark 2:13-17)

Jesus stayed with the woman caught in the act of adultery. (John 4)

Jesus stayed with the lepers and healed them. (Luke 17:11-19)

Jesus stayed with the children despite the disciples overlooking them. (Matthew 19:13-14)

As you read through today’s verses, remember these are the footsteps we are called to follow. Jesus, who knows everyone’s thoughts and motives, chooses to love the unlovable despite the outcome and regardless of how the object of His affection might respond. May we ask God to help us see the world through the same eyes of compassion - a compassion that leads us to love the unlovable and ditch the cynicism that too often makes us keep the world a safe distance away.