Today I received an email regarding someone's opinion of our political system. A somewhat cynical view which I will summarize as "they're all a bunch of crooks." I confess that this sentiment is one to which I easily fall prey. Today also marks the day (I believe) when Obama will finally remove all doubt that he will be the democrat's candidate for the upcoming presidential election. All this political fervor in the air makes me think of a scene that was burned into my mind yesterday while I was riding my bike in Sacramento. It was just a flash, I just saw for a moment, but I have not been able to shake the image of a homeless lady sleeping under an umbrella, next to a baby stroller in a cemetery. My mind quickly recalled the demon possessed man that Jesus encountered who lived among the tombs. I wondered if the stroller was for the pittance of her earthly belongings or perhaps (I dare not even think it), there was a baby nestled up next to her on that blanket under the umbrella. What should we do for this woman? For the thousands like her?
I hear a lot of politics of change, yet little seems to really change. Sure our taxes may go up a little or down even less, but will any candidate make a difference in this nameless lady's life? Unfortunately I know the answer, as do you. I realized that as much as most politicians want a better country and society, their own self-interests will always ultimately win out. And in that way politicians prove that they are just like you and me. While I am concerned for the needs of that lady I passed yesterday. I PASSED HER! Revealing to myself the harsh reality that God was right when he described even my most ardent good deeds as filthy rags. The truth is WE'RE ALL "a bunch of crooks." I must confess that my hope for our society (and myself) is not in politicians but it is in Jesus Christ. I pray that the homeless lady that I saw in the cemetery yesterday will find her peace in the same person who 2,000 years ago brought sanity into the life of a fellow cemetery dweller; and that when I get to heaven both she and her Lord will forgive me for not realizing that "feeling bad" is often synonymous with "doing nothing."
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I encountered a family of four one time while buying groceries. I remembered there were two young children, a boy who was about 7 and a girl about 4. It was quite late in the evening and the mother was trying to get the kids to sleep on the grass in the parking lot. I too "felt bad", but I didn't know what I could've done to help. I tried to think of what I can do at the moment. All I came up with was purchasing some food items for them. The mother thanked me, but as I drove home, I felt even worse. The next night, as soon as I got out of work, I saved some food from the restaurant I was employed in and went out to the same parking lot to see if the family was still there. To my disappointment, they were gone. Although I was not surprised that this family had moved on, I was devastated and dumped the dinner I had saved for them. I still think of that family from time to time pray that they are doing well. It's not that most of us just "feel bad" when we encounter people who are needy and less fortunate. Most of us have a desire to "do something". We just don't know what and how much?
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