Saturday, 14 November 2009
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No Money, No Honey: Finding Worth in the World's Worthless
“No money, no honey” shrugged a tired, weathered figure.Bart’s complaint wasn’t about the lack of romance in his life. Although I’m sure he could have used a female companion, that’s not what was burdening him at the moment. He went on to explain, in his broken English, “have nothing, nobody wants you. Everyone does this...” he swatted as if to shoo away a fly. He continued to describe how because of the complete non-existence of anything valuable in his life, it was hard to win anyone’s respect or companionship. When you have nothing, he reasoned, nobody wants to have anything to do with you, it even seems as though everybody prefers that you were not around.
Quite honestly, had I randomly bumped into Bart on the street not knowing him, I would have brushed him off as a drunken criminal loser. I would have assumed a number of negative things about him, and consequently I would have probably preferred to not be bothered with him had he approached me for any reason. I would likely hope and pray that the language barrier would make it easier to avoid him. In fact, this may very well have happened at some point. I know that sounds pretty awful, especially since I like to portray an image of non-judgmental, compassionate love. But it is the truth. He just wouldn’t have seemed to be worth my time.
Few have the patience to deal with him on any level much less hire him; his English can be a chore to decipher especially through his Ukrainian accent, plus he can barely see. Although he may not be hideous, when you factor in his permanently sun drenched skin, his one peculiar-sometimes grotesque- looking eye, and his over worn clothing, you might see how the average person wouldn’t care to give him the time of day. He walks into the center alone most of the time, and he leaves alone. When I see him on the street he is alone as well.
No money, no honey.
In a city like Chicago one can not help but overlook people, sometimes in massive quantities. But how often has that become an excuse for simply avoiding people? Regardless of where we live, who are those people we have dismissed as unworthy of our time or compassion? Maybe it is that unruly student. It could be that filthy panhandler outside the store. Maybe it is a bland coworker.In any case, I believe most of us, from time to time, will size up others and conclude that they are just not worth bothering with.
Christ befriended us when all we had to offer him was our screwed up hearts. Christ has no need for anything we can offer Him.There is nothing we can offer Him that is of any worth to Him, unless He attributes worth to it. Yet not only does He love us, He suffered so that we can be in perfect communion with Him. Despite our destitute impoverished souls, He wants to make us His bride…His “honey”.
For some odd reason, He thinks I am worth something incredible. And, despite popular opinion, Bart is worth something incredible as well.
If the Lord God, in all of His Holiness and Glory finds us worthwhile, who are we to consider anyone among us not worthwhile? If Christ went out of His way to reconcile us to Himself, where do we get off avoiding each other for the sake of convenience, comfort, pride, or reputation?
It is very common in our society to size up other people based solely on what they have to offer us. In light of God's wondrous mercy demonstrated through Christ Jesus, let's not allow this mentality to infiltrate our Christian walk.
What are some ways we can work to get past the barriers that keep us from treating the seemingly worthless people of the world with respect and compassion?
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About the Author
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- From: subSacred@xanga
- About Me: This is a personal spiritual journal in which I will be exploring God, myself, the Church, and how the three interrelate.
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Comments (14)
I was convicted of this several years back during a worship service while we were reading Romans 12. verse 16 states, "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited."
God came to our level through Jesus (becoming flesh and blood). He became what he desired to save and draw near to. I don't think it is much different for us. We need to be on the same level as those in low position. We engage humility and accept the truth that we share similarities as creations of the Creator with the imago dei. People are people everywhere. We were created for community. We're not better than one another. If we will believe otherwise then let us believe others as better than ourselves. That will help to break down barriers.
I praise God for this message; you have just nailed everything on the head.
2Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
3For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
7Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.(Gal 6:2,3,7,8)
What would cause us to think more highly of our own value than we should, and lower of anothers than we should? I think anything that would cause this reaction should be immediately rejected and tossed away!
Great post!
In prosperous places like America the cause of poverty is not caused by injustice but by the person who is poor.
Be it poor mental health, drug habits or bad values or bad fortune, poverty is a result of the individual himself, not the society at large.
This is what makes poverty so intractable. If spreading money around were the solution to poverty, everyone in America would be a millionaire many times over.
Great post. For all people this should be very sobering.
I don't have much problem with people asking for money. I can identify with a lot of that. My worry was always more with what they would do with that money. If I have money to spare that's nothing to me, I wouldn't have anything without Him anyway. I've always worried about what else is going on that brought them to the position they're in now. Whether it be addiction, poor decisions, or just "bad luck". A lot of times money just isn't enough.
@Wraith1664@xanga - I don't think the author was suggesting that we just hand someone like Bart just money. I think he was saying that we just don't befriend or even simply listen with warmth when someone like Bart shows up near us.
As a single woman, there are safety issues for me and someone like Bart that turns up out of the blue. Should I meet him in a homeless center, in a crowded event, or even at church, I am much better at offering him a welcome or my open attention. Not every recoil is built of rejection, is my point. That may not help Bart's self esteem to know that; but I would hope it would help him not to take it so much as a rejection.
justme
cm
A great many indigent people suffer from mental illness. Poverty and mental illness are incredibly hard to deal with because they are problems so heart breakingly unsolvable. Social workers work with children who are irreparably damaged from horrific home lives. For all the care and love they provide, most of the kids spiral downward as they grow up.
A good many people walk away in frustation when confronted with people who appear to be so without hope.
@gmx0@xanga - Why is that? Because we consistently do nothing about it? Regardless; I think God makes it clear throughout the OT and NT that he desires that there are no poor among us.
I regularly volunteer at a church drop-in centre for the homeless. Most of the homeless I encounter therein would not be able to keep a job, due to mental illness, or other reasons. We can't necessarily fix that, but do we stop caring? I hope not.
man, this spoke to me. there's a guy who calls me almost everyday and i haven't picked up in several months because he can be really obtuse. but i realize that i'm being a pharisee in shooing him away like i do.
What are some ways we can work to get
past the barriers that keep us from treating the seemingly worthless
people of the world with respect and compassion?
Recognize the truth that we are each immortal extraordinary beings...with a gift to offer to one another. If I believe only I have something to offer than my motivation is low, but if I recognize that the other has something to offer me...something of true value, only if I'm willing to be in relationship...well than that begins to sound like friendship. Now let me ask the question again from that perspective.
"What are some ways to get past the barriers that keep us from treating my friends with respect and compassion?" Makes it a much simpler question to answer in my mind...and I'm discovering it to be the truth.
What is keeping you from trying out 'unlikely' friendships? b/c I've seen God move in profound ways when I'm feeling uncomfortable doing what Jesus asks me to do, but I only do those things when I can sense there's something in it for me...if its a burdensome (or feel I 'should' do it) I don't do it.
Praise the living God!
@gmx0@xanga - the context of that verse was Jesus chastising Judas for saying that the expensive perfume the woman used to wash His feet could've been sold to get money to feed the poor, for He was soon to be crucified and thus the exhorbitance she displayed was justified.
One thing I would say is that times have changed!
In the 80's and 90's, people who didn't have a job, didn't have one because they voluntarily wanted it that way. They where either drugaddicts, lazy bums, or criminals.
We're into the 21th century, and we have passed 2 serious economic depressions in 10 years time!
In that first depression, a lot of companies made it harder for others to apply for a job.
You needed to have a CV (resume), and you needed to have a trackrecord of a workingman.
In the second economic depression of 2008 which we still are going through, people lost jobs, homes, and many of those faithful workingmen, who perhaps where singles having only one income,perhaps supporting a child, lost their jobs, and became homeless.
If they where lucky, they could rent a small appartment, living off their savings for a while, but that didn't last for some.
The people we meet on the streets, not all of them wanted it that way. They just gotten there, because a lot of bad things had happened; perhaps in the housing crash, while paying back their morgage and their car, they lost their husband in Iraq, and ... blablabla...
The people on the streets have a hard time.
But even they should know that regular working people can not sustain them if they can hardly sustain themselves.
It's perhaps a hard way of saying, but we are living in a society of "the strongest survives".
And if you're not the strongest, if you're not willing to jump over other's heads, through whatever means you may find available to you, you will end up at the back of the line.
I am absolutely sure that a part of the people on the streets are better people than the regular working people.
Then again, I'm also absolutely sure that another part of those people on the streets are there because of their own fault!
Dealing in drugs, or other illegal activities can cut short the lives of them.
I find it not fair that criminals have a better life, than people who have lost their possessions through a hard economic time!
But anyways, since the percentage is high within the homeless, to find a convict, or criminal, or person with bad behavior, people still try to stay clear from them!