When I started to take my faith seriously, one of the hugest aspects that I wanted to devote myself to was service, especially to the underprivileged, outcasts, and lonely. What draws me to that demographic is the hurt they represent. Being different often means you are alone, and it kills you slowly when you are alone.
In discourse concerning diversity and differences, it’s always been my perspective to look over social/economic class, racial stereotypes, and such; I viewed people as people, and to me that meant that humanity was unified. To me there was no discerning difference between the homeless and the homed or the suspended worker and the Man. Galatians 3:28 was my view on humanity: There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
That verse is beautiful, but how could I be so oblivious to so many differences? I still believe we are all one regardless of whether it is in Christ, but to blatantly use that as my world view is ignorant. It is ignorant of reality and the context of the verse. ((I think the verse is just getting the idea across that in the diverse body of Christianity, whether we are believers in Asia or whether we are Catholic, we are still one.))
The reality aspect is a well-deserved smack in the. I hyped up and glorified my ideal to live for the disregarded in high school. Entering college, and consequently being exposed to the inner city of Milwaukee, I don’t know if anyone could tell that the esteem I highly regarded a couple of years ago is still alive in me. I feel like a traitor. I feel like I don’t do anything for the people I wanted to be with. I walk by homeless people, lonely people, and unkempt people when I should walk with them.
Maybe this is merely a transition. I am, after all, in the real world. Reality has built a wall on the express way, but it’s only made of Styrofoam. ((Did you know you have to capitalize Styrofoam? That’s what my online dictionary/spell checker says.)) It’s my undying hope that this is just a transition. It’s not easy to deal with the outcasts; you want to love, but you want to love intelligently and justifiably because that is what love is; perfect love drives out fear.
Let’s hope this situation is just like what the Indianapolis Colts are experiencing: It is a struggle, but I know my capacity. ((In week 2 of the 2009 football season, Peyton Manning rallied his Colts to a magnificent win against Minnesota. Everything was being ripped apart, but you can never question Peyton’s, and generally humanity’s, determination and will.)) Hardships are merely hurdles, and I absolutely enjoy hurdling.
continuu 