What's our excuse- Only the Worthy Poor

WANTED: Clean Cut, Well Educated, Mentally Healthy, Sober, Gainfully Employed, Poor Person who is in desperate need of my generosity and wisdom.  Ability to pass a Criminal Background Check is A MUST.

It's like someone runs a cheese grater across my brain, seriously. "God helps those who help themselves."

I get the theory.  You want your money to go to a worthy cause.  Responsible giving, right?

If I am a Christian, then I must realize that the orders on my life to be generous and serve are pretty simple.  Christ never advocated for responsible giving. He said give. Period. No exceptions for us and no requirements from them.

Give to everyone, give to your enemies, give to the criminals. Give your clothes, your food, your time and your compassion. Give, give, give, give, give. I am truly thankful Jesus made it so simple, because I would tie myself into knots trying to decide who is worthy of my dollar.

Why do we allow our attitudes to become so hateful and prejudicial towards the poor?  Why do we fight the pull of our soul?

We don't want to be scammed. We don't want to be embarrassed. Is it really more responsible to give to a non-profit organization whose CEO is making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year? When we fall into the trap of second guessing our donations all the time, we will never give.  It's too easy to talk ourselves out of it and then forget that the need is real.  The pain and tears and desperation are out there waiting for our response.  

Our excuses-How Embarrassing

A few weeks ago, my husband and I were having a date night out to go listen to some music. While driving, my  husband spontaneously decided to switch lanes at the last second so we could toss some cash to a beggar on the side of the road.  He risked our reasonable insurance premiums by cutting off a couple cars and stopped on a dime next to the very nice gentleman who was actually not begging, but just waiting for the light to change so he could cross the road. 

Whoops. 

Then there was that time when I tried to help the wheelchair-bound-man move a  shopping cart.  He thought I was stealing the cart and starting yelling at me...loudly...at Walmart...during Christmas shopping days.

I've was on the opposite side of this last year when a kind lady, filled with compassion watching my husband and I tussle over the price of shoes at the Salvation Army, handed me a 20.00 bill and walked away before I could recover from my mortification to return it to her.

My point is that we are scared of embarrassingly helping the wrong person.  Of being shut out and shut down.  There are, of course, worse things to being embarrassed over.

Offer help, accept help.  I constantly have to force myself out of the "bootstrap" theology we are taught in the United States.  God put us here with instructions to help.  People are suffering in mind, body and soul.  I want to always make myself available.

"If people wish to help, let them come and see--the reality is more attractive than the abstract idea."
Mother T.

If You Teach a Man to Fish, He Will Probably Starve

There was a Rich man who saw that his Poor neighbor was hungry. The Rich man felt sad and decided he wanted to help the poor man.  The next day Rich awoke from a peaceful nights sleep and after having a large, satisfying breakfast, he went and said to his Poor neighbor, "I will help you."

Rich retrieved his fishing pole from his locked shed and invited Poor to his private, well-stocked, fresh-water stream that ran behind his home.  He taught Poor to bait and cast.  Rich was successful and caught several large bass for dinner that night.  Rich smiled inwardly as knew that he had done a great thing for Poor.  Rich taught Poor to fish and now Poor would never be hungry again.  Rich took his bass, his bait, all the hooks and his pole home.  Rich had a filling dinner, threw away the leftovers and fell asleep, still smiling.

The next morning, Rich awoke again from a peaceful slumber filled with sweet dreams, and ate a delicious, nutritional meal.  He walked outside to find Poor dying from starvation. Rich was angry.  He had wasted his energy and time teaching Poor to fish and here Poor was, still burdening society with his hunger and poverty. Rich cast Poor aside, scoffing Poor's lazy attitude and lack of work ethic.  Rich wondered if Poor expected him to share the fish he had caught? Bitterness set into Rich's heart. "That will only make him more lazy and dependent upon my generosity," thought Rich. "Let his hunger motivate him to fish as I taught him to."  Rich left with his pole, his hooks and his bait and went to go catch his dinner.

It wasn't that Poor hadn't tried.  He cut a branch from a tree and found some leftover twine to try and make a pole.  There was no bait, so Poor took a bit of bread and attached it to the end of the string.  There was no hook, so Poor prayed for a miracle.  Poor had no land.  He walked several miles until he found a small standing of run-off water.  It was polluted and contained no living thing.  Poor didn't realize his attempts were futile.  His hope and self-esteem plummeted as he continued, in vain, to try and mimic what Rich had taught him.   After hours in the hot sun, Poor fell asleep, confused at his failure.  It was fitful, sleeping on the ground, and he tossed and turned.  His body ached and he woke up more tired than when he fell asleep.

Thoughts ran through his mind of survival. Could he steal a fish? Could he beg for a fish? Were his only choices crime or humilation? One would send him to prison and the other would make him a mockery of society. He thought of his children.  How they were hungry and counting on him.  He thought of Rich and all the fish he so easily caught with his shiney pole, sharp hooks and fresh bait.  Hopelessness set into Poor's heart.

Luke 16: 19 - 31

Credit Scores

 

I am nervous about putting these thoughts on paper, but having considered them for a long time, I am ready to go out on a limb.  Deep breath. Crack my knuckles. Here we go...

THE FICO CREDIT SCORE SYSTEM IS UNFAIR AND BIASED AGAINST THE POOR AND MINORITIES

http://www.washingtonabc.org/conference-2011/racial-wealth-gap.pdf.

I understand that it may have started as a system to help banks decided who could pay this or that house/car payment.  It may have seemed like a good idea.

The FICO system is now used to decide whether people can get car insurance, an a apartment, an education or a job and that, in my humble opinion, is unfair and prejudicial and I'll even say un-Christian

The FICO system is so relative to circumstances beyond our control.  It is not just about whether a bill is payed or not. It is a mysterious system that few people understand; invented and controlled by...hmmm, no idea.  Is it not easily corrected and our wrongs are recorded, not just for 7 years, but for an infinite amount of time.  The information is easily manipulated and often wrong. It  gives no consideration for difficult times or catastrophic health problems.  Business are now making millions of dollars a year to "protect your identity" because the system is so failed.

It is another system in place to suggest that the world is so fair that we can judge everyone by this  three digit number and get an accurate idea of who they are as a person.  It assumes that everyone, before credit mistakes are made, has received the same financial education and has the same resources available to them for survival.  The FICO system is a financial felony for a lot of people in this country.  It handcuffs them to crime ridden areas of town and to a welfare system they would like nothing more than to get out of.  It forces the poor to pay loan shark payments to gain legally-required car insurance or to rent-to-own a sofa for 4 times the price it is worth. And they don't have the money to begin with!

It leaves them powerless against society.  If years of mistakes are made and then they get sober, get therapy and get motivated, they will still find most of their options for a success are closed because of their financial history.   The fallacy that if only you work hard you will achieve the American Dream is such a cold-hearted lie. The dirty little secret is that if you are born poor, you will probably stay poor.  And if you are born rich, no one cares about your credit score anyway. 

There will be some random exceptions to this rule (HA! Positive Deviance) which society will point to as justification that your limitations are your own fault cuz "that guy did it."  And then radio announcers will throw insults, calling you "the great unwashed",  condemning you for using food stamps.  They will sit back, confident that their own success is because of  hard work and brilliance, take their ball and go home, giving you not even a passing thought.

"You Just Don't Get It."

Someone tried to convince me today that I don't understand the poor. "You don't get it.  These are not sweet single mothers who just need a bit of help.  Most are drug addicts who beat their children and take advantage of the welfare system."

Ignorance is so cute. And how sweet of her to try and educate me.

This is why we need Dorothy Day to be recognized as a Saint. She was a member of the Communist Party. She was an anarchist and a suffragette. She was jailed at least 11 times and encouraged the men around her to resist their draft notices. She refused to pay her taxes or vote in an election.   She drank and smoked too much and slept around.  She had an abortion long before it was legal to do so. 

Even after her conversion, the Church was irked by  the work she was doing and they butted heads constantly.  Dorothy did not glamorize her work with the poor. Her work was physically demanding and there was very little respite for her and her daughter.  She hated the mental illness and the stench.  She found them difficult to stand and craved silence.

She understood the poor.
She understood poverty. 
She understood the will of God.

We don't serve the poor while wearing rose colored glasses.  We don't serve them because we feel sorry for them or because they have passed some test that proves their worthiness of charity.  We serve them because it is a command from God.  We serve them because we are all undeserving of the blessings of this world.  And whether our money and needs are met through our own hard work or if they come as a result of government assistance or generous charity, ultimately all of our blessings come from God. 

Those of us who are blessed by God with health that enables us to work, return that blessing to God by our obedience in caring for others.

So we serve, without judgment.

We serve the addict.
We serve the criminals.
We serve the victims.
We serve the violent.
We serve the sick.
We serve the crazy.
We serve the liars.
We serve the manipulators.
We serve the faith-less.

And we thank God for the blessings we receive through this service and pray for His grace and mercy.

These Days Will Come.

This was one of those weekends that I absolutely dread. My mind was being marinated with covetous thoughts of money and wealth.  Thank God these days are few and far between but this weekend was rough.

Because the poverty I enjoy is a choice on my part.  I almost always have access to money or more money if I need it.  But some pretty large tuition payments are due. They are looming and seem impossible and it is causing insomnia and stomach aches.  Christmas will be tiny this year and that is embarrassing.  My children are not given every thing they want and a few things they probably should have but Christmas has always been a catch up day for us.  The one day we spoil them a little bit.  They each get three presents (Because the Baby Jesus got 3 :))  But with four kids, that is still 12 presents plus stockings. We try to go to the movies because we rarely do that.  Christmas in our house is all about the birth of Christ, but within that spirit of abstract joy we try to provide some moments of concrete joy to impress upon the fact that THIS day IS different.  My children are so amazing at not complaining the other 364 days of the year.

So all these things were heavy on my heart over the weekend.  The stores are all decked out and playing music, and I am conflicted as to how excited I should get because I want to prepare my family for the ity-bity tiny Christmas they are about to suffer through.   The older kids expressed their willingness to go without gifts so the younger ones can have more.  I feel terrible and I went to bed fantasizing about a long lost wealthy uncle or tripping over a large box of cash that someone left behind but no longer needs.  My home looked smaller than I remembered.  It is small but this weekend the size seemed inadequate.  I was short-tempered and frustrated with everyone.  I began to question everything I believe in and hoped that at the end of my life God is not actually wanting to see my checking account summary.   And jealously reared its ugly  head.  I was jealous of my friends.  Of their homes and cars and the clothes their children wear.  It is a horrible place to be.

These days come.  And they will go.  And somehow everything will be okay one way or the other.  But as we go down this road of sacrificing and giving, it is important to remember that these days will come.  It is a certainty.  And they will go. 

How it feels to be screwed over.

It has been a rough couple weeks.  Rough on my family, our faith, our patience and probably my blood pressure.  The last two weeks we have been living in a Twilight Zone kind of reality, where everyone seems to be abiding by a different set of rules than what appears obvious to me. 

It may be the only time in my life when I have gotten the short stick of justice.  I have been appealing to the powers that be to do the right thing; to stand up for and protect the innocent.  I have begged them to obey God, to follow the law and their own policy. 

And for two weeks I have watched those in power succumb to the lure of money and the fear of politics.  I have watched the victims be further victimized and humiliated.  I am angry.  I want to cry but the tears won't come.  I want to scream and fight but those who are in control could not conceivably care any less about the anger and pain this has caused my family.  I am sick to my stomach as I watch my church making bad choices.  I am constantly reminding myself that although Christ created His church, He is more than, bigger than, better than His church.

I am powerless.

I have never really been powerless before.  It is new to me.  I am poor because I choose to be.   I have experienced misunderstandings with friends and my bank has made mistakes in my checking account...but this is altogether different.  It is inexplicable to my soul and my family WHY people in power choose to do the wrong thing.  WHY they ignore those who suffer.  WHY they bow to  money and politics instead of justice and Christ.

I told my children to remember that some people live this way everyday of their lives.  For some, injustice and oppression defines their existence.  It brings us very little comfort in our own unjust situation but we are grateful to God for this understanding and the empathy it will bring as we serve others.