Hands-on Faith
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to fly to Chicago with my mom to visit my cousin and see Phantom of the Opera at the spectacular Cadillac Palace Theatre. My friends and I were really into musical theater in middle and high school and Phantom was one show we loved that I, for some reason, had never seen performed. So it was a bucket list opportunity and I totally carpe diem-ed it.
It truly was a “seize the day” decision, because who chooses to go to Chicago in winter?? Oops. Our first day there, Mom and I bundled up to head to the Chicago Art Institute while my cousin worked. My mom went to college near Chicago and felt like the Art Institute was a must-see. The weather was freezing. Actually, below freezing. Four degrees, to be exact. The only exposed part of my body was the place between my sunglasses, my fur hat, and my neck warmer, but even that tiny bit of exposure to the wind was painful.
I lowered my neck warmer just long enough to take this selfie. Although my family roots are Chicagoan (and Scandinavian before that), I would definitely need more time to acclimate to the cold before I could truly fit in!
We had a few minutes to kill before the museum opened, so we made a quick stop at a drugstore to pick up something Mom needed. While she was checking out, I noticed this next to the register:
Something handmade by a woman in Kenya that says, “Together we can change the world” and the purchase of which provides access to clean water? Yes, please! Whatever little bit I can do to make a difference in the world, I try to do.
Mom and I checked out and headed back into the cold. But only two steps outside the store, we were approached by a homeless man asking for something to drink; a Coke, to be exact. Now I am as skeptical as anyone when it comes to people asking me for money on the street. I like to know that I’m giving to an organization or person who will use the money wisely and for the purpose they claim to need it for. I don’t want to be hustled or taken advantage of.
But I also believe that God wants us to be generous, to give cheerfully, and to remember that He provides all our needs. I believe that loving our neighbor doesn’t mean having one standard of living for them and another, higher one for me. But in this freezing Chicago moment, I am ashamed to say that my first instant was to refuse this man his request. It was literally our first 10 minutes alone on the streets of Chicago. This guy had probably sensed that we were from out-of-town and thought we might be good for an easy con. Well, I’m no pushover. He was, doubtless, only the first of many homeless people I would see. I couldn’t help every single one. I probably shouldn’t try to help any of them. There are organizations that have this type of ministry all figured out and maybe I’d be doing more harm than good by giving this guy what he wants.
But then I thought of that bracelet I had just bought and realized that I would rather give clean water to someone in another country, whom I’ve never met, than to help a cold, thirsty man standing right in front of me. “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink…” (Matt. 25:42 NIV). What if that man was Jesus? “‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’” (Matt. 25:45 NIV). Even if that man wasn’t Jesus, what would Jesus have done? “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act” (Prov. 3:27 NIV).
It was certainly within my power to turn around, walk back into that drugstore, and buy this man a Coke. And what if that man was Jesus? There was no way to know. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb. 13:2 ESV). I think it’s better to err on the side of caution. It seems unlikely to me that we will get to heaven and Jesus will say, “If only you had helped fewer people in need” or “I wish you had been more discriminating in who you tried to help.”
I didn’t actually have time for all of these thoughts to consciously run through my mind before I turned around to buy the man a Coke (two Cokes actually – they were two for $5 and I can’t pass up a sale). But that moment and my subsequent decision has stayed with me. I’ve continued to ponder it these past couple of weeks. I’m glad I was able to help someone I had an actual interaction with. It is far too easy to write a check and let someone else do the relational part, the messy part. I think I need to continue to challenge myself to do more than just help from a distance.
As we sang in this Christmas season, Emmanuel – God with us – has come to us. He took on our humanity and lived this dirty, painful life as one of us. He’s a hands-on God. He deserves hands-on followers.
It truly was a “seize the day” decision, because who chooses to go to Chicago in winter?? Oops. Our first day there, Mom and I bundled up to head to the Chicago Art Institute while my cousin worked. My mom went to college near Chicago and felt like the Art Institute was a must-see. The weather was freezing. Actually, below freezing. Four degrees, to be exact. The only exposed part of my body was the place between my sunglasses, my fur hat, and my neck warmer, but even that tiny bit of exposure to the wind was painful.
I lowered my neck warmer just long enough to take this selfie. Although my family roots are Chicagoan (and Scandinavian before that), I would definitely need more time to acclimate to the cold before I could truly fit in!
We had a few minutes to kill before the museum opened, so we made a quick stop at a drugstore to pick up something Mom needed. While she was checking out, I noticed this next to the register:
Something handmade by a woman in Kenya that says, “Together we can change the world” and the purchase of which provides access to clean water? Yes, please! Whatever little bit I can do to make a difference in the world, I try to do.
Mom and I checked out and headed back into the cold. But only two steps outside the store, we were approached by a homeless man asking for something to drink; a Coke, to be exact. Now I am as skeptical as anyone when it comes to people asking me for money on the street. I like to know that I’m giving to an organization or person who will use the money wisely and for the purpose they claim to need it for. I don’t want to be hustled or taken advantage of.
But I also believe that God wants us to be generous, to give cheerfully, and to remember that He provides all our needs. I believe that loving our neighbor doesn’t mean having one standard of living for them and another, higher one for me. But in this freezing Chicago moment, I am ashamed to say that my first instant was to refuse this man his request. It was literally our first 10 minutes alone on the streets of Chicago. This guy had probably sensed that we were from out-of-town and thought we might be good for an easy con. Well, I’m no pushover. He was, doubtless, only the first of many homeless people I would see. I couldn’t help every single one. I probably shouldn’t try to help any of them. There are organizations that have this type of ministry all figured out and maybe I’d be doing more harm than good by giving this guy what he wants.
But then I thought of that bracelet I had just bought and realized that I would rather give clean water to someone in another country, whom I’ve never met, than to help a cold, thirsty man standing right in front of me. “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink…” (Matt. 25:42 NIV). What if that man was Jesus? “‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’” (Matt. 25:45 NIV). Even if that man wasn’t Jesus, what would Jesus have done? “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act” (Prov. 3:27 NIV).
It was certainly within my power to turn around, walk back into that drugstore, and buy this man a Coke. And what if that man was Jesus? There was no way to know. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb. 13:2 ESV). I think it’s better to err on the side of caution. It seems unlikely to me that we will get to heaven and Jesus will say, “If only you had helped fewer people in need” or “I wish you had been more discriminating in who you tried to help.”
I didn’t actually have time for all of these thoughts to consciously run through my mind before I turned around to buy the man a Coke (two Cokes actually – they were two for $5 and I can’t pass up a sale). But that moment and my subsequent decision has stayed with me. I’ve continued to ponder it these past couple of weeks. I’m glad I was able to help someone I had an actual interaction with. It is far too easy to write a check and let someone else do the relational part, the messy part. I think I need to continue to challenge myself to do more than just help from a distance.
As we sang in this Christmas season, Emmanuel – God with us – has come to us. He took on our humanity and lived this dirty, painful life as one of us. He’s a hands-on God. He deserves hands-on followers.
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