The big man with flowing hair and long beard walked into the shelter
with backpacks on both sides of his chest and a huge, beautiful walking stick. I greeted him as he moved to fill his plate
with breakfast and he smiled with the bluest eyes ever. This was my first
encounter with Dan, a homeless gentleman whose life included severe war
injuries, PTSD, family dysfunction and anxiousness if he was crowded. He had
several outdoor camps around town and usually carried everything he owned so it
would not get stolen. This rough and perhaps scary looking man was one of the
most generous and caring people I had met in a long time. He was always ready
to lend a helping hand or tell stories that left us in amazement. When I first met him, I was looking at him
through my human eyes. As I got to know him, I could see him through God’s
eyes. A precious, gentle soul who lives life in ways that most of us are
working so hard to avoid. Dan’s testimony of his relationship with God was
inspiring. His belief was unpolluted and
not shackled by worries, stress, programs, time, or guilt. His belief in God
was pure.
We all come across situations which call for courage in action. When I
was working in an elementary school, we decided to have a food drive contest
for our local food bank. The top two classes with the most items would win ice
cream for their snack. (Never underestimate the power of elementary children in
their quest for ice cream!)
Each class began filling up their boxes and counting their items. One
mother bought 12 jars of baby food so another student brought 13 jars of baby
food so it would count more. Soon, the
contest took on a life of its own and even adults began encouraging students to
bring in smaller items because they would count more towards their goal of
winning. About 3 hours before the contest was to end, an administrator got
caught up in the contest and left campus to purchase more items for her child’s
class so they would win. All of a
sudden, a good and caring activity turned into a contest filled with greed,
competition, manipulation. The goodness and initial caring of the food drive
was lost in selfish ice cream.
Could I do it? Could I walk into the principal’s office and stand there
and tell her I thought we needed to get back to the reason for the contest in
the first place? Would I have the courage to express my sense of injustice and
unfair practices in a contest which started with compassion and turned in to
greed? You bet I could do it. Because
God was allowing me to see this teachable moment through His gracious eyes and
the knot in my stomach was pushing me forward right into her office.
After visiting about my concerns and the real meaning of the food drive,
it was as simple as an announcement over the intercom to tell all the classes that
everyone would be getting ice cream and no grand total would be necessary. The
task of feeding the hungry was the real success.
How can we see a situation so ghastly like the
earthquakes in Nepal through God’s eyes? It is a blessing we cannot see as thoroughly
as God sees because we would not be able to humanly process the entire pain and
destruction. This does not mean God wants us to ignore the situation or the
feelings of kinship with the mother desperately hanging on to her children in
the middle of the street while buildings crash all around them. Or the look on
the face of the elderly man as he realizes that he has nothing left – no home, no
food, no clothing, and no possessions. So how can we see this through God’s eyes? God
wants us to see the world as one. One in humanity. One in caring. One with us. One in action. God desires our
prayers and generosity in response to situation that was not in our own back
yard, but which is still in our world.
Not every person in the world is easy to love. There was an old man that
passed away. He lived a long life, but his life reflected greed, love of money,
lack of compassion, selfishness and absence of emotion for his family. He was
not an easy person to be around, and you often left his home feeling angry,
insulted, frustrated, even saying the words, “I hope I never have to see this
guy again.”
When he passed away, the family asked if I would do the funeral service.
Whew! What do you say about a person who lived such a life? How do you comfort
loved ones when they need little comfort? What scriptures can you choose when
you know he could have cared less?
We all know people that make it very difficult to see them through God’s
eyes. I was reminded of something we always used to say when I volunteered as
an EMT with our rural ambulance. “Do no harm.”
As I prepared his service, I took great care to be positive and
encouraging for those who attended his funeral. I read scriptures of hope and
peace. I talked of a family who gave of themselves for his benefit. I smiled.
Standing at his gravesite, the warm breeze and sunshine were welcoming
moments of peace. The words spoken were being led by God. Although in my experiences with this old man,
I could not see the love God had for this person, my role was to do no harm. No
disapproval. No harshness. No negativity. Only ministry.
Whether in the homeless shelter, in your community or across the world,
God talks to us.
D & C 161: 1 “Community of Christ,” your name, given as a divine
blessing, is your identity and calling. If you will discern and embrace its
full meaning, you will not only discover your future, you will become a
blessing to the whole creation. Do not be afraid to go where it beckons you to
go.
D & C 163: 4 a. God, the Eternal Creator, weeps for the poor,
displaced, mistreated, and diseased of the world because of their unnecessary
suffering. Such conditions are not God’s will. Open your ears to hear the
pleading of mothers and fathers in all nations who desperately seek a future of
hope for their children. Do not turn away from them. For in their welfare resides
your welfare.
D & C 162: 6a. From the
earliest days you have been given a sacred principle that declares the
inestimable worth of all persons. Do not forget.
It is not enough that we see through God’s
eyes because what we see calls for action. There is ALWAYS something we can do.
- Arrange for a prayer group to lift up those living in world conditions which reflect suffering.
- Use only encouraging words to support the worth of all persons.
- Seek out volunteer activities that match the mission of Jesus.
- Stand up for justice and fairness.
- Reflect on the generosity you can share by making a donation to Abolish Poverty, End Suffering.
- If you see a need, make plans to meet it.
God sees us through His eyes every day and it is a look of love. As we
attempt to see through God’s eyes, let us also be vulnerable to act upon what
we see.
