The One Way Mirror

Do you ever have a moment when suddenly you see the world differently?  When you are faced with a reality that sends your reeling and makes you evaluate your entire view of the universe?  Last night, I experienced such a moment.

I was sitting in a folding chair in the front yard reading a novel and enjoying the crisp, fresh evening air after a quick thunderstorm had come and gone.  Our house is provided by our church which is just a few miles from downtown Louisville.  Our current neighborhood is very different than the upper-middle class, small-town, suburban home from which we moved almost a year ago.

Here, small houses are packed together and airplanes roar overhead.  People in the neighborhood seem to fall into a few broad categories, with a few exceptions.  Some here are retirees or have deep family roots.   They have stayed here as the city grew around their family home.  Some are college students or very young families trying to get their start.  Many are working poor.  This last category is where I would place the young mother who approached me last night.

She had a dilemma.  Someone had given her a Target gift card.  She came to me and explained that it had been years since she’d been in a Target, had no way to get there, and really didn’t even know what could be bought there.  For a moment, I didn’t know how to respond.  The reality of her situation sank in as I realized that this couple doesn’t have a car, they have 4 children, and are well below the poverty line.    A Target gift card was a well-meaning gift, but entirely impractical.  The nearest Target is 6 miles from our house.  She asked if I knew anyone who could use a Target gift card.

I told her I’d be happy to pick something up for her; I’m near a Target every day.   I told her they had clothes and diapers and basic household stuff.  After a long pause, she asked me to get juice and diapers.  She would send one of the kids over with the card.  I stepped back in the house and  realized that I had enough cash in my wallet to cover the amount of the card.  I decided to trade cash for the gift card.   She was very grateful, asked if I was sure, and I explained that, “Really, it’s not a problem.”

I tell you this story not to highlight the plight of the poor in our country, even though their situation is very real.  More than that, I’m overwhelmed by the ignorance and arrogance with which us middle-class folk look at our world.  This sweet lady and I live in the same neighborhood but in two completely different worlds.  I blog, facebook, and twitter.  I have access to technology and a world of communication.  I have had difficulties, but have never lived in a season of true need.  I never question whether or not we’ll have food to eat or a car to get from home to work.  We worry about 401k’s and the stock market.  We’re concerned about what the economy will do to our lifestyle and fret over the ‘sacrifices’ we have to make for the ministry.  I worry that no one will want to read what I write.  Right now, all of that worry looks like a big pile of self-absorbed BOLOGNA.

Today, I am deeply humbled by my own ignorance and assumptions.  I am heartbroken that if this mother hadn’t approached me, I wouldn’t have thought twice about her family’s ability to make use of a gift card.  I am overwhelmed by the depth of need in our world and my fear that I can’t do anything about it.  I wonder if my gadgets, gizmos and lifestyle have built a one way mirror that I can see through, but make me unapproachable from the other side.

Lord, give us eyes to see and a desire bridge the gap.  Help us to use the language of love to communicate, educate, lift up, and encourage.  Continue to break my heart until I see clearly what I need to do about it.

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3. . . . No Matter How I Feel
4. Goofy is good