Do We Really See the Poor?

This past winter I stopped in the local SAVERS discount store. As I walked from my warm car, I passed a young Native American man sitting out in the cold wearing only a long sleeve shirt and light weight sweatshirt. I sat with him and we had a nice visit. He too, is Lakota and we had much in common. I wished him well and contined on into the store. I found that I couldn't focus on the several items I had come to purchase because this young man kept appearing before me. Finally, I went over to the sweatshirt aisle and I found four heavy sweatshirts with hoods and each marked down to $1.00. I purchased them and immediately took them outside to my new friend. He couldn't believe his good fortune. He put two of them on and said that it was the first time he had been warm in many days. As I walked away from "Ken" I wondered if I had just purchased sweatshirts for Jesus!!!

Why do we put so much energy in avoiding interaction with the poor? Are we concerned that we aren't far from being in their position? Are our standards of living so high that we simply can't comprehend the situations of each of these folks we meet? Does each poor person we pass by remind us how much we don't know about the poor? Does the Christ tug at our hearts and remind us of his words, "when I was thirsty, you gave me a drink; when I was hungry, you gave me in food. When I was lonely, you visited me and when I was sick, you cared for me."

When we truly recognize Jesus in the poor, we will find that he is everywhere. We will stop and visit more often and more easily with those we meet outside of stores. We will be moved to bring something out of those stores for the poor. We'll be able to look past their tattered clothing and embrace them.

Once we recognize Jesus in the visibly poor, we will begin to realize that every day we meet those who are poor and who show no outward signs of poverty. They might be experiencing broken relationships, or difficulties at work. A parent may be ill or being moved to a nursing home. A smile and a "hello" can make a huge difference in someone's life.