More Reflections

I've just returned from a weekly outreach program that is run in our city. Each week, the poor and homeless can come to this place for hot food and worship. Once a month, another ministry comes in and hands out clothes and toiletries.

Our church went today to help with the latter. This was my first time there. DH and my older two boys went several years ago fairly regularly to help lead worship and serve food.

Several people read my blog yesterday and commented that they might have been in the "questioning crowd" wondering WHY and HOW such a thing could happen if there were responsible adults involved. And I am really no different than you..except experience tells me it's often not what it appears on the surface.

Several years ago, I taught in my first inner city school. It was there that I realized that I really did have hidden prejudice and a sort of "us and them" mentality. I didn't realize it at first, but layer by layer throughout that year, my perceptions began to surface. I learned so much about myself there. I cleaned my "thought house" as I realized that we really are not all that different. I actually thought that *I* might be able to "save" some of these children and their families. I was wrong.

Then, many years later, I again worked in the inner city and realized it wasn't up to me to have a "savior" mentality. It's not about "saving" anyone from the life they live. I cannot expect people to live and act the way I do or even in the way that I deem "right". It's not about making people more like me...it's about showing them how to be successful in their world...and ensuring they have the resources to do so.

Now, here I am 16 years from my first inner city teaching job and 8 years from the second one knowing that the best thing we can do to "close the gap" between cultures is to develop relationships. And part of developing relationships is meeting needs.

Today was another gentle reminder that every human being needs to be treated with dignity and respect. And if there is any remnant of preconceived notions or beliefs, then we must ask that they be confronted and whittled down to nothing.

While reading Same Kind of Different as Me I was struck by Denver Moore's take on this situation (Denver is shown in the photo on the left when he was at our book store recently--that's my back in the photo). He likened what "white people" do to "catch and release" fishing. He asked Ron Hall about it. He didn't understand WHY anyone would "catch and release" when fishing because the reason he,and people like him, fished was to meet a need. Yet he knew that white men seemed to catch and release.

He said they did the same thing in the shelter. They came in and served until it felt good then left never to be seen again. He said if you really want to make a difference, then you needed to "fish for keeps". Our Pastor said today we need to spend time building relationships---not just for our next "evangelistic mission"---but because it's what we are called to do.

This week has been a gentle reminder that my pole's going "in the water" and I'm looking for "keepers". I'll be back downtown next month. I think that's the way God wants it.