FEED the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter strangers, visit prisoners
Our church in downtown Houston attracts all kinds of people. Last year I felt the need to pray about being more welcoming — for example, not feeling impatient when certain visitors become disruptive. I was trying to break down the whole concept that some people are “undesirable.”
One night after a Wednesday night service, I was stopped at a red light in a dark, deserted area. A stranger approached the car to ask for money. Ordinarily, I’d feel trapped and anxious, but not this time…
He said he was hungry. When I offered to buy him dinner, he asked what his limit was, then spewed negative comments about there being no restaurants nearby and dismissed my suggestion. Searching for the nearest McDonalds, I prayed about the sense of limitation that we all seem to struggle with. When it turned out that the McDonalds didn’t take credit cards, I told them about the hungry man, and they gave me five burgers for the $2.50 I had in my pocket.
When I found the man again, he was absolutely floored that I’d come back with food. I felt inspired to say, “You’re only limited by your beliefs. Promise me you’ll start letting go of the ones that are hurting you.” He said, “I like that! I don’t have any negative thoughts!”
Then he said, “Actually, I do…”
“Let them go,” I said. His gratitude was boundless: “Have a wonderful evening!” and “God bless you man!”
Lest anyone think that this man was just grateful for the burgers, I found myself in a similar situation a few days later with a different man. This time, the man turned down my offer of food and asked for money again. After I insisted, he admitted wanting a beer. I thanked him for being honest and told him I couldn’t support a habit I had to overcome myself. He left with nothing, but the interaction felt just as satisfying. He thanked me for “being such a good man,” and we shook hands. It was a wonderful exchange.
Not only did these experiences give me greater ease at stop-lights; they helped me relate more easily to certain church visitors. And since then, an opportunity has come to fruition visiting a local prison to hold Christian Science services.
Feeding, clothing, sheltering someone — and especially breaking down the concept of an “undesirable” person altogether — are truly Radical Acts in our society. Let’s put them into practice…and share our stories!
Carlos Machado, June 2012
Related Bible citations
Matthew 25:34-40 Luke 3:10-11
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Topics: Love, Social Problems
Thank you for that Facebook video. It is wonderfully inspiring and joy-giving! We all have so much to give each moment, and the opportunities are all around us. I once was walking down a snowy sidewalk and an older woman slipped and fell on the ice. Since I was the closest person to her, I was the first “on the scene” and could be a calm, supportive person. I asked if she was okay and she said, “I think so.” I just kept a peaceful, clear thought that she was okay, and said I’d stay with her. We were just quiet and peaceful, and I was prayerful, and expecting her to get up. Then others came over and expressed a lot of fear and franticness. But the peacefulness was already established, and she soon got up and went on her way. The fear just could not get at her, and I was just gleeful!!!
In line with the giving of love I came upon this video. I am far from this man’s compassion.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151580997124307&set=vb.188184837932942&type=2&theater
This is a wonderful video. I’m so glad you shared it.
As so many of you are pointing out, we feed the hungry and clothe the naked when we embrace them in God’s love and share with them healing ideas. I was once on the way to hear a lecture at a YWCA in Boston. I was praying about sharing this message with those hungering for Truth. I saw a woman standing on the side of the street begging for money. I had seen here there before, so I went up to her and said, “I don’t have money to give you but I have something I think will help you much more. I’m on my way to hear a talk at the YWCA all about God’s love for us and how God meets every human need. Do you want to go with me?” She replied with an enthusiastic, “Yes!”
She listened to the lecture, took a copy of Science and Health, and then I drove her home. She told me all about her disability, her children, her inability to find work. So I talked to her about God as the real Father-Mother of each one of us, caring for, guiding and protecting us. I showed her passages in Science and Health that she could study and we marked them. We talked for two hours! When I got ready to go, she hugged me and said, “God has already answered my prayers!”
Sometimes we don’t see the results of our sharing right away, but we can still share God’s love and trust that it will bless them. Since I travel a lot and am often in the train and subway stations in New York, I find so many opportunities to comfort. One time there was a woman sitting on a cement bench, surrounded by all her belongings, looking very dirty, worn out and as if she had given up on life. She might have been on drugs, because she wasn’t asking for anything or even responding to anyone passing, but simply hunched over and looking down. So I went over and sat by her side and began telling her how much God loved her, that she could never be separated from his love, and that she was “the daughter of the king, all glorious within,” because she was made in the image and likeness of God. (Ps. 45:13). After a little while, she lifted her head and looked at me with a faint smile and thanked me.
Another time there was a man who was either high on drugs or drunk, who just collapse to the floor in the middle of tons of people rushing by to their trains. No one stopped to help him, perhaps because he was a mess, very dirty! But my heart went out to him. I kneeled beside him and told him he could never be separated from God’s loving care, that God was speaking to him right then and there, giving him the strength and ability to think clearly and to express his God-given dominion. And then I went on to my train. I didn’t care what anyone thought, but I continued to affirm that God’s love was with him and he could not fail to feel it. That’s something each of us can do!
I want to thank everyone who has been praying with the idea behind this Radical Act. I initially thought that I really hadn’t fed any strangers yesterday, but then I realized that I had. I was texting my nephew, and for the first time ever, I felt compelled to share some spiritual ideas with him. It would not normally have occurred to me to share these ideas, as he does not have a very good concept of church. I feel that the ideas I shared were divinely inspired, and a product of all of you who have been cherishing the thought of feeding the hungry. Thank you!
I’m a bit late joining the conversation for this RA, but I was really inspired by yesterday’s posts. Thank you all so much for sharing!
I spent a good amount of time recently visiting someone at the hospital, keeping them company, and trying to help with minor tasks that needed attending. In some ways, I felt like I was only there for comfort and support, but I also knew that I had a job to do mentally.
Sometimes it’s easy to buy into the world’s idea about a situation, and in the case of someone who is homeless, sick, naked, or in prison, the suggestions seem to be so agressive. They seem so obviously to be saying something about the person’s identity. From my own experience, I know I have to guard my own though against the suggestion that there is something I can personally offer this “poor person” in front of me, because my situation is so obviously better than theirs. But this line of thinking only reinforces what the world thinks about the poor, sick, and naked. This line of thinking only adds to the weight of thought on the wrong side of the argument. If God made them, and God made me, would he have made me better than them?
I’m still learning from last week’s experience. It’s still blessing ME.
First, it is not too late to have the healing happen. That situation in the hospital, or the homeless person that came to your window yesterday, or the teenager you whitnessed comit a crime, is still held in consciousness. We can think about it, we can pray about it, and therefore we can heal, now. Time is not a factor.
Second, standing firm against worldly thought, God’s view of His creation reveals a healthy, rich, and elegant man. Putting our thought on this scale does not mean loving someone despite their inperfections, but rather seeing them as God sees them, despite the worldly image trying to impose itself on us. On this I am still working, but making progress.
Just came across this video on FB this morning. Awesome illustration of a young man’s selflessness helping a stranger:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151419336238627
I loved this video. Thanks for sharing, it makes me think about how many time I have walked passed someone in need. Makes you WANT to help others more :)
Really cool. So natural. And so natural for the rest of us too!
I have been the beneficiary of the Radical Act to many times to count. Through understanding the law of giving I see how it has blessed others. I’ve been grateful to learn how to give to others too and the resluts have been amazing. As I started to learn how to pray in Christian Science I realized the power of being clothed in the Mind of Christ. In Luke 8:26-35 we have a story of a man that “Had devils a long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.
In this story Jesus heals the man and the people of that city find him “clothed, and in his right mind.”
It’s amazing what can happen when we are willing to listen to others and clothe them in their rightful Mind, the Mind that is God. When I hold to the fact that we all have one MInd, and that it is God, amazing things happen.
I’m continuing to clothe the world with the MInd of Christ today.
As I was thinking about this RA this morning, I realized I was interpreting it solely from a literal perspective. I felt somewhat discouraged that I might not have an opportunity to put it into practice today. It was unlikely that I would see a naked person on the streets of Boston or have the chance to visit a prison over the course of the day.
But I started think of this command as one that was asking us to always be alert to the needs of others, whatever they may be, and willing to help them. I was reminded of a time when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in a small village in West Africa. I was walking up the road to the middle of town. There was an old woman trying to bring her goat back home. The goat, who was on a rope, refused to budge. I went up to her, reached out for the rope, and offered to help her get it home. She was really grateful for the help, so much so that she sent her grandson over to my hut later that day with some yams to give me as a present. It was such a small thing that I did. But her gesture showed me how meaningful it was to her.
This story reminded me of how God uses as all the time to help others. And there are times where certain people are brought into our experience to help lift us up and provide just what we need. The important thing is that we’re open to these opportunities to help.
And as I was thinking about this, someone IMed me on Facebook, thanking me for some ideas I shared with her. This was a new acquaintance, someone I had barely interacted with. But I had posted a positive comment about a blog she had written about a challenging time in her life. Those few words really meant a lot to her. It was a good reminder about how these opportunities can sometimes come in the smallest ways.
Thanks for sharing this idea Ariana. It really helped push me to not take this RA too literally. I was talking with someone last week, and I thought, hmm I should share some metaphysical ideas, but I didn’t. It’s been nagging me all week on and off. Well today was the day – because of what you said, I decided to write a little note to this friend.
As I thought about what I was going to write to her I got so much clarity on the issues that needed addressing.
Thanks for being part of this RA challenge.
I absolutely love this thought! Below, Carlos offers some great spiritual interpretations of FEED, CLOTHE, SHELTER, and VISIT. http://time4thinkers.com/6-feed-the-hungry-clothe-the-naked-shelter-strangers-visit-prisoners/#comment-19555 By Carlos’ interpretation I think I clothed the naked today. The story’s still unfolding . . . and still delicate . . . but I do promise to share it soon!
OK so here’s the rest of that delicate story. I’d been praying really deeply that day and was feeling awash in Love. Then someone I don’t know well called and exposed her “nakedness.” A tricky family event was coming up that put her in a central role. She needed strength and poise to get through it. Yet a family member was coming to town who drinks, attacks her verbally, and has been known to settle family disagreements with a loaded gun. Plus, he was bringing a buddy, and insisting that the two of them stay at her house. She was concerned not only for herself, but for her children.
The first layer of flannel I could wrap around her was simply reassurance that she didn’t need to go along with this plan. We talked for a long time about that. The next layer was prayer. The Bible passage I pulled at random made me laugh out loud. It was Esther asking her husband the king to protect her whole extended family, the Jews, from Haman’s unjust law. The king graciously agreed and lent her the symbols of his royal power: his scribes, his ring, and his seal. Esther 8:5-9.
The story was so crazily apt that I called her back and read it to her. That gave her the courage to tell the family member that he should book a hotel room. Then, the buddy couldn’t make the drive. The family member canceled his trip. My friend met all her obligations at the event with perfect strength and poise.
All power to the “naked” and “vulnerable”!!! Because our king is indeed just. “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.” Isaiah 9:7.
This is a beautiful story. I love how you covered the nakedness with flannel. How tender, just like wrapping a newborn baby.
A couple of weeks ago I spent an afternoon with Esther. She was to be part of readings for our church’s Wednesday evening meeting. Then, I felt impelled to set her aside. That night a new member and I were chatting and he brought up Esther. I told him of my study, and he said well let’s have that story during the Jewish observance of Purim, which is this coming weekend. He was raised an orthodox Jew.
I am learning more about Purim now, which I understand includes listening to a reading of the book of Esther, sending food gifts to friend, giving charity to the poor, and eating a festive meal. These all sound good to me!
I like how you prayed for your friend. So often I am shy about that.
I went to a Purim celebration once and it was wonderful. People of all ages coming together and really rejoicing!
Today’s subject Feed the hungry, cloth the naked, shelter strangers, visit prisoners. Reminded me of the time when my children were small, we had five. A lady I had worked with in the past, approached me telling me her daughter, a single mother, needed help caring for her two children, because the daughter needed to work. The women, said she could try helping with the two year old herself, but could not manage the two month old baby boy because she herself worked full time. Her daughter worked at a local drive in as a car hop, serving food, we went to the drive in and she ( the mother of the small children ) approached our car and said her mom had told her to ask us about sitting her two month old baby. My husband and I were not sure we could manage this. I told her I would help even if for a short time. When the young mother brought the baby over, we could see at once the little one needed to be loved and cared for. It appeared the two year old was fed and clothed pretty well, but the baby really needed to be fed, he was so very small and was not very clean. We agreed to keep him. The mother left him and didn’t return for a few days. This became a pattern. Each time she would bring him he was really needing a bath, never had food, diapers, or a change of clothes. so I at once went to the used clothing store and bought baby clothes. We went to the grocery store and bought baby food , milk and diapers. Our intentions were to have all those things at our home for him when the mother brought him over. At first we had him alot. Never hearing from her for a week or two at a time. So we didn’t mind loving and caring for him, the routine was when he arrived the family gathered around him and as soon as the mother went out the door, we all knew the routine, we would lift the little guy out of his infant seat, the children ran to get the water running in the bathroom sink, we would strip off his clothes, one child would put the soiled clothes in the washer, one child would get the lotion out, one would get the clean clothes out, and a warm blanket to wrap him in. My husband would get his bottle ready, the children helped bathe him and dress him and feed him. This little guy was welcomed with such love.
I tried not to pass judgment on the mother. I just did what needed to be done. We kept this little baby so much that when the mother would show up I just thaught she was stopping by to see him. Which she sometimes did. He gained weight, was happy and so loveable. We felt he was one of our family.
My husband worked two jobs at the time to help meet our family needs. One evening around Christmas time the baby’s mother desided she wanted to come and get him. My husband came home all excited to hold and play with the baby…he ask where the baby was and the children and I sadly said, his mother came and got him. My husband’s disapointment showed in his face. We didn’t see that comming as she hadn’t been in touch for a few weeks, and we were just loving him and the children were loving him too. We were planning on having him Christmas. We did have him off and on for about another year or so .
I really felt it in my heart that we were ment to take in this little guy when we did. The mother never paid us to care for him, nor did I expect her to. I knew she was having a difficult time. We took him in, clothed him, sheltered him, loved him like our own,with a loving family, in a safe haven. And helped his mother see that he was lovable.
Feed the hungry , heal the heart. Our job was done. We did our part. And have done this same type of thing for some other children and their mothers over the years.
What a powerful healing sense of family. I am very touched.
Betty - You may have changed this child’s life forever by what you and your family did. That no-strings-attached unconditional love is the closest thing I know to God’s love. I suppose it is God’s love manifested in human experience. Thank you.
Wow. I’ve always wanted to be a foster mom. But I live in a small NYC sized apartment, I’m a single mom, and I work and travel a lot. ;) I admire you.
I’m realizing, though, as I type this, that while I’m not a foster mom, I have people cycling through my home all the time and sometimes they need mothering in the very best sense, too.
So glad you came to the site to share, Betty. You’re a real Radical ACTor and we need you!
What a wonderful example, Carlos! Very inspiring! I was thinking this morning about, “Clothe the naked” . It makes me think of (Luke 8:26-35) the insane man of Gadarene (violently insane), rejected by society and kept chained up out in the country in the tombs (have we mentally or physically excluded personalities or people we feel are undesirable or a threat to us?). But Jesus “made the separation”–separated the false picture of a dysfunctional past, human personality disorders, past mistakes, etc.–and ordered those false picture out of him. The next minute, the man was sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, completely healed and thinking correctly.
It reminds me that when negative pictures appear to me about another person, rather than trying to point to those negative qualities or behavior, I need to make the separation, and “hide” rather than expose these lies about the person, and instead see only the man of divine Love’s creating. I say “hide” because it’s a line from a favorite hymn that says: ”Each can his brother’s failings hide, And show a brother’s love.” The hymn encourages us to delight in helping our neighbors find peace where human failings seem to be, instead of simply reacting to those failings. Here is the whole hymn (Hymn 403 from the Christian Science Hymnal):
How sweet, how heavenly is the sight,
When those who love the Lord
In one another’s peace delight,
And so fulfill His word;
When, free from envy, scorn, and pride,
Our wishes all above,
Each can his brother’s failings hide,
And show a brother’s love.
Let love, in one delightful stream,
Through every bosom flow;
And union sweet, and dear esteem
In every action glow.
Love is the golden chain that binds
The hearts that faithful prove;
And he’s an heir of heaven who finds
His bosom glow with love.
Great comment. Like your first line a lot.
Earlier comments about the childlikeness that helps us embrace this Radical Act with freedom and fearlessness reminded me of one of my favorite articles from The Christian Science Journal. I believe it captures what’s at the heart of feeding the hungry and sheltering strangers: The willingness to see their innate worth and dignity, not their helplessness. But this piece says it better than I can:
http://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/ffggnrgo58?s=e
What a wonderful story! Here’s a musical complement to it, worth listening to again and again: http://time4thinkers.com/weekly-musician/jay-and-tessa-frost-peace-like-a-river/
Two months ago my close friend Catherine called me in a panic, explaining how her longtime friend, Emily, was looking for a place to stay and could I help? She explained how Emily was from the UK – and was having a tough time finding accommodation for her internships. Emily was in New York before coming to my city for an internship, living in a seriously roach-infested apartment. It turns out her landlord was really a staff member of a university, illegally renting university property to exchange students.
Emily had to get out of there quickly, and found another internship program in my city. As she was about to sign the lease on her room rental, she found out this landlord was charged with running a brothel out of her home a few years ago.
I agreed to help but I didn’t know how exactly. I got Emily’s number and called her that night. She sounded very stressed out. I found myself saying, “Any friend of Catherine’s is a friend of mine. You’re welcome to stay with me until you can find other accommodation.” I couldn’t believe I was saying this, but it felt so right. Emily breathed a huge sigh of relief and accepted my offer. She thanked me over and over again. I had no idea what she was like or if we would get along, but I felt at peace about it.
She ended up staying at my tiny studio for three weeks. I was away for most of that time and felt I could trust her with my place. When I did return, she had other accommodation lined up. The rest of the time she was in my city we hung out at least once a week.
I learned so much from this whole thing. Emily and I are now really good friends! She wouldn’t describe herself as religious, but she is deeply spiritual. We had many conversations about spirituality, God, gratitude, etc. Her life completely turned around while in the US and I got to be a part of that. It was so clear that she was kept safe all along!
BRAVO to you Mclean! That you appreciate being a part of her life turn around shows that your recognize your own blessing in this. That’s spiritual maturity. I’ve had teens live with me for as short as a month and as long as three years and my blessings have been multiplied by extending myself and my home. Helping others expands our lives, broadens the borders of our (love)tents so to speak. Once expanded, they never constrict back.
You are an angel.
This week I have been thinking about “Feeding the hungry…” and how much a practical, literal approach makes a difference in the life of a child who is hungry.
When I was about 10, our family (of 8) went through a series of hospitalizations and financial challenges that left us in desperate need for help. A local philanthropic organization stepped in and provided our family with basic food..dried beans, rice, powdered milk…each month. I will never forget how grateful we were.
I don’t remember feeling poor. I mostly remember the kindness of these “strangers” who would drop food off each month, and help my parents provide clothing and shoes for their young children…of which I was the oldest. I remember the feeling of dignity and respect they carried into our home. It was during this time that my parents began studying Christian Science. I have often wondered if the sense of family dignity that this organization fostered during this time of extreme need, didn’t help prepare the soil for receiving the seeds of Truth.
Sometimes “feeding the hungry” starts with relieving the hunger pains in a child’s tummy, and lifting the burden in a parents’ heart, before we sow the seed.
lovingly, k.
This is a Radical Act I have dearly and deeply wanted to engage with and live. I feel so drawn to it, and have greatly loved the metaphysical diving in to this Radical Act which has been expressed in the previous comments.
And yet, every day I find myself just so unsure of how to live this Act. I have no desire to just ‘hypothetically’ live these. I want to “live, really live, and not just get by on good behavior” (Jesus, from the Message translation of the Bible). But as I go through my days, which certainly are wonderfully filled with good and productivity and cheer, I just don’t see how I am – or can – really live this Act.
But I also can’t stand the idea of not living what Jesus asked his followers to do. “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples: that you love one another, as I have loved you.” In fact, my uncertainty as to how I can live this has really been bumming me out.
So tonight, I have been praying about this Act, and this passage from Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, came to mind: “Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfed love, receives directly the divine power.” (page 192) So, if my desire to live this act is really holding my thought in line with unselfed love (and it seems to me that this Radical Act is all about unselfed love), then I cannot be bummed out in the course of focusing on and striving to live it. Maybe I won’t see ‘results’ or opportunity in exactly the same time frame or manner as some of the other Acts have provided me…but it’s not a waste.
I am now really, quietly excited to see how this Act can be seen and come to fruit in my experience. None of these Radical Acts are a waste, or confined to a certain time or location.
There’s something hugely powerful about committing to a Radical Act. Especially when you do it in public, like this. Can’t wait to hear about all the divinely inspired opportunities that come your way to REALLY LIVE this — and not just get by on good behavior. :) <3
Hi all…I know it’s been a while, but it’s been a very full summer of practicing these Radical Acts…and I’ve absolutely LOVED them. I feel like they have actually changed my mental molecular structure…
Keeping this particular RA, “FEED the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter strangers, visit prisoners…” fresh, and radical, has been an interesting discipline.
I think the most important lesson for me was that I don’t always “know” what that would look like for someone else. I might think that feeding the hungry looks like sharing resources, ideas, etc…giving, when what they most need is the space to think, the opportunity to give of their “widow’s mite”, to share with me their love for God and Jesus…rather than just hear what I have to say.
Clothing the naked, sheltering the stranger…sometimes their need to be clothed looks like nakedness to me, and my version of shelter feels like a cage to them.
The real demand was to actual be “present” enough…to listen deeply enough…to see, hear, discern what THEIR version of food, clothing, shelter would look like.
And as far as “visiting” the prisoner…this was the most eye-opening. It doesn’t say “get the prisoner released,” or “free the prisoner” in this RA…it says to visit.
Sometimes the most loving and trusting thing we can do is to “just visit” and let someone know that they are not “unvisitable” just because they are in prison. Prison (society’s or one of their own mental making) may be the best place for them to discover what they need to understand about their relationship to God. And sometimes it represents a quiet sanctuary for building a relationship that couldn’t blossom in the hustle and bustle of “society.”
This summer, it has been a gift to “visit” people in places and situations that might (to an outside eye) seem like a prison that they needed to be freed from…and to really be present with them there and witness their courage, innocence, and strength…right THERE…was a gift…for both of us.
I’ve really loved this radical act.
with Love, k.
I’m hugely moved by your post, Kate. Thank you so much for writing down all of these tremendous ideas and lessons from a summer spent with this Radical Act. They are such meaty thoughts.
At this very moment, God is taking care of all his children, individually and collectively. His love feeds them, clothes them, shelters them, and gives them companionship.
They are satisfied.
My mom is a major influence in my life style choices. She is extremely giving and fearless. When we were younger, she would go to main beach Laguna every Tuesday and feed the hunger. She was faithful to these people as long as we lived in Newport California which was about seven years. As my young life continued she helped people in need everywhere we lived. We had many visitors in and out of our house finding their right place. As of recent she has empowered young athletes to find their calling to help. An entire basketball team collected old shoes which they gave to a company which somehow changes the shoes into water in Africa! I think people around us are living radical acts all the time and sometimes we just need to stop and recognize them!
Melody, thank you for sharing. You are absolutely right about our need to merely recognize the radical activity going on around us. In some ways, that is what this project has become about for me: realizing that Jesus didn’t set out to do something radical. He just lived… with honesty and respect for what he knew.
The more we understand him the more we understand that there was nothing radical about what he did. It made perfect sense. What was radical was his view of the world, which expressed itself in a way that seemed radical to other points of view.
“… the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:5)
Hi everyone! Here’s an update on the Christian Science services we’ve been holding at a local prison. As mentioned above, this isn’t about visiting people who are behind bars, or doing something good because we’re supposed to. It’s about reaching out to the captive thought – letting Truth set free that which is enslaved and limited by the illusion of material existence.
I started volunteering back in January. I have taught Sunday school and read in church, but there is not a more captive audience than what I’ve found in this place. Our services are modestly attended, but you can be sure that everyone is they because they want to be. They come with challenging questions and an open mind. It has been such a blessing for me to be involved with this effort.
We don’t spend a lot of time with formalities or chitchat. We start by getting right down to the lesson, and usually spend an hour or two reading it, analyzing it, and discussing how it applies to specific situations. We’re learning Christian Science, and these gentlemen are putting it into practice during the week.
Yesterday only two of them showed up. Both have been attending for some time. Both are due to be released soon. And both are excited to visit the churches once they’re out. We talked about where the churches are located in the city, and for a while all three of us were traveling through Houston in thought. I reflected on how this freedom has come about, and how we can all see there are no boundaries when our thought is uplifted by the Bible Lesson. It was such a beautiful demonstration to see these men travel with me, free, taking ownership of their true identity as God’s reflection. It was a joyous day.
These prison visits have helped me realize what true freedom is. I’ve seen these men set free during our sessions, and because they are in prison, there’s no mistaking the seeming material situation for the reality. In a way, these visits have set me free as well… free from judging my true status by human circumstances. And in realizing this, I can also see God’s direction of this activity, because it is a blessing to everyone involved.
I am so grateful for this opportunity, what it is teaching me, and for being able to share it in part with all of you.
This is simple and beautiful Carlos . . . thank you!
Carlos I hear you! I have been having some experiences of my own where the differences in value/ability/worth that seem so obvious outwardly, are erased and I can feel how in God’s eyes we are actually totally equal.
I love this thread… I haven’t read all of the comments but I will! Let’s just say that I have been the hungry, the naked, the stranger and the prisoner and I’ve been fed clothed, adopted and freed! It takes a preparation of the heart to be receptive to that ‘conscious worth’ and be willing to accept it and be-loved! I love where MBE writes: “Art thou still unacquainted with thyself? Then be introduced to this self. “Know thyself!” as said the classic Grecian motto. Note well the falsity of this mortal self! Behold its vileness, and remember this poverty-stricken “stranger that is within thy gates.” Cleanse every stain from this wanderer’s soiled garments, wipe the dust from his feet and the tears from his eyes, that you may behold the real man, the fellow-saint of a holy household.”
As we let our own famished affections be fed, and let the poverty of our thought be purged of fear and filled with Love’s allness and let all that feels cast out and abandoned be bounded up and adopted… that’s the freedom from mortality that shines with God’s reflected light and lifts the lives of all in need ‘higher than their poor thought models would allow’ (MBE) I am so grateful for what I’ve been given in the dark times… but I’m most grateful for the reflection of Truth expressed in the honest presence of another that got my attention and made me reach for it, ask, rise up and receive!! :)))
I now have wonderful experiences with ‘strangers’ and curious hungry ones often where I see them seeing what I saw in another and eventually had to reach out to… The Christ!
These are all such wonderful stories…I hope you will indulge me sharing one that has meant the world to me. It has to do with the admonition to “clothe the naked.”
Some years ago I had a friend who was going through a very challenging time. Her choices were not the ones that I thought I would make if I were in the same situation, and I didn’t hesitate to let her know how I felt. I was sure that I had great justification (Biblically and culturally) for the position I spoke out from. She very quietly took the steps in her life that I thought were unnecessary.
Although I never criticized her decisions publicly or privately, my feelings about this particular issue were clear to those who knew me, and to our mutual friends. In our own way, we had agreed to disagree, and I was left basking in the gluttony of my own self-certainty.
But then I went through my own deep waters of self-doubt and confusion. After months of constant prayer I was led, by Love, to take steps in my life that were very much the antithesis of all my years of intractability and self-righteousness. I suddenly realized that no one can listen for another person’s angels, that we can only pray that “Thy Word” God’s Word, working in their heart, “may enrich the affections…and govern them.” My former sense of self-certainty and righteous judgment were rebuked by experience…and as Mary Baker Eddy so beautifully relates in her autobiography, Retrospection and Introspection:
“Into mortal mind’s material obliquity I gazed, and stood abashed. Blanched was the cheek of pride. My heart bent low before the omnipotence of Spirit, and a tint of humility, soft as the heart of a moonbeam, mantled the earth. Bethlehem and Bethany, Gethsemane and Calvary, spoke to my chastened sense as by the tearful lips of a babe. Frozen fountains were unsealed. Erudite systems of philosophy and religion melted, for Love unveiled the healing promise and potency of a present spiritual afflatus. It was the gospel of healing, on its divinely appointed human mission, bearing on its white wings, to my apprehension, “the beauty of holiness,” — even the possibilities of spiritual insight, knowledge, and being.”
This was EXACTLY what I experienced. And I wept with regret for the way I had thought about, and treated, my friend in the wake of her choices.
But this is where “clothe the naked” comes alive for me. My friend was the first person to come and help me see the tenderness of God’s love for me. She never said, “Remember when you thought I had made a poor choice…” She never reminded me of my self-certainty. She just celebrated my humility, the lessons of love and compassion I was learning, and urged me to embrace my right to be transformed by the experience.
She clothed me in her grace. In her presence I felt bathe clean in love, fed by compassion, and covered in the garment of mercy.
In the presence of her kind heart I was never raw, and naked, exposed or ashamed. Just embraced with grace.
Kate, I can relate to what you’re saying here about “basking in the gluttony of my own self-certainty,” and I LOVE the idea that “no one can listen for another person’s angels”. I have been working on that very thought and it has made better equipped to help others by recognizing that their communication with God is just as valuable and rich as mine.
You have such a deep sense of the radical thinking that makes these acts truly radical. “In the presence of her kind heart I was never raw, and naked, exposed or ashamed.” Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re welcome Carlos…I have loved your contributions as well. lovingly, k.
One night in Europe my friend and I found ourselves without a place to stay. We didnt think much of it because our train didnt arrive into the city we were staying in until late and since it was a friday night we thought the town we were going to would be happening!
Well the city was totally happening but everyone was drunk and were not in our element. We had previously been in the Spain and while there was drinking, most of the culture was about dancing and socializing. Now we were immersed in an aggressive mostly male drunk city and we were nervous on how to move forward with our night.
As we walked the city, looking for availability in hostels and hotels it started pouring down rain. Now we were not only nervous about the night but wet and cold! The rain kept coming and we were beginning to become frantic and upset. Suddenly a group of people who all had umbrellas and rain coats asked us if we needed any help. We said we were okay and they offered us one of their umbrellas and asked us if we were sure.
Their kindness was so needed and my friend began to explain our delema and asked them if there were any places they suggested. I was so grateful for these people! They took us to their hostel and there was availability for us to stay for a couple hours of sleep before the next check in arrived. We were so grateful! We were safe and beginning to get warm. I thought that these radical acts would all be about how I was affecting others but these people whom my friend and I were the strangers to they offered shelter. It was so fascinating to me. I know people are good, but to have this experience literally in the bold words at the top of the page was a powerful experience of the good in the world.
That’s powerful Carlos. I especially love “protect the undeveloped or exposed thought” and “embrace and nurture the new idea”.
So, I woke up this morning and something hit me over the head (metaphorically speaking) about this Radical Act. Jesus did speak a whole lot about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering strangers, and so on. In fact, during his last days on earth, his command to Peter (three times repeated), was to feed his lambs!
BUT… what hit me is that Jesus’ career was basically launched by the metaphysical battle won during those 40 days in the dessert, which includes the very recognition that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God. This is what Jesus recognized from the beginning as true nourishment!
And obviously, it wasn’t just a pray-and-go-home attitude. The prayer itself (the right thinking) enabled him to feed thousands at an hour of need, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, etc. This prayer was true and unlimited action! So here’s what’s coming to me by way of spiritual translation about this Radical Act:
FEED THE HUNGRY: Nourish the receptive thought. Share Life and wisdom with those hungry for it.
CLOTHE THE NAKED: Protect the undeveloped or exposed thought. Wrap the vulnerable with Love.
SHELTER STRANGERS: Embrace and nurture the new idea. House the foreign in the all-encompassing divine Mind.
VISIT PRISONERS: Reach out to the captive thought. Let Truth set free that which is enslaved and limited by the illusion of material existence.
I’m sure there is much more thought/prayer to come along these lines. This RA seems to offer a perfect glimpse into Jesus radical way of thinking, which led to the human expression that seemed so radical to everyone else. How do we get THERE – in thought? This seems so important in “following” Jesus versus “emulating” Jesus.
I LOVE this post Carlos!!!
DITTO!
Hi Everyone! Check out this “Daily Lift” on “Radical Recognition”… which to me touches on the radical difference between seeing an “undesirable” and doing something to help, versus changing our thought to seeing only God’s child:
http://christianscience.com/prayer-and-health/inspiration/your-daily-lift/7-12-radical-recognition
I think this begins to address what I’ve been trying to get at in my thinking all summer. Is there a difference between charity work – or doing something for someone who we inherently recognize as incomplete – and charity as described in I Corinthias 3 (which by the way I recommend reading in it’s entirety)? Here’s an exerpt:
“…though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
“[Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,] Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”
3rd grade SS / LindaH…
Thank you so much for sharing! Please be sure to write about your experiences throughout the summer.
I’m a Sunday School student in Linda H’s class, at Fifth Church Long Beach. One of my sixth grade classes at school focuses on learning about community service. Lately we’ve been talking about St. John’s Shelter for women and children. The stories of how the women and children have been helped at the shelter means a lot to me and has motivated me to think about ways I can pray for them.
I have found the words to a song we sing in Sunday School to be a good prayer for what some of the women at the shelter have gone through. The words go… “Innocent one, sinless and pure, nothing can ever divide thee. Governed by Love, you’re safe and secure; I am forever beside thee. So rest and know where ever you go, home and heaven cannot be denied thee. For I am the Lord, there is none else; there is no God beside Me.”
My Mom signed us up for a program where you can help feed the hungry. You get a letter every week about a family that needs food. Our family has decided to send food and blankets every week to a family with four kids.
There was a girl that was 12, and she liked girly things, I decided to give her one of my silver purses and for the boys my brother is giving a baseball bat and a dinosaur toy.
This is our family’s RADICAL ACT!
Thanks for your thoughts Carlos. Reading your and Amy’s posts remind me that the person who approached me is blessed by God and only God. Because I have been committed to bearing witness, viewing man rightly, and addressing the problems of the homeless and the challenge of dealing with uncomfortable feelings, etc. it’s probably normal that I should be given a more advanced challenge. My answer is that I can pray and know that God blesses while still staying safely out of the way of his aggressive behavior. I love the promise of your thought that it’s never too late to find the blessing, to continue to pray even after the opportunity. I have found that I am noticing many many people wandering the streets, looking in the trash for food. I am seeing this a lot right now and with different eyes. I’m thinking about protesting on their behalf that they could be stuck in these behaviors, and recognizing God’s love for them.
Isobel… yes! Every opportunity is a higher step, and God will never give you something you’re unable or unequipped to handle. The opportunity is not in the human situation that came and went, but in the spiritual opportunity for growth, never gone.
I had an interesting experience today. I was a a jobsite for a project we’re in the middle of building, asking the foreman if he knew of a good painter because I needed a second quote. From the street a man comes walking up and the first thing he tells me is he just got out of jail. Well, I’ve been holding CS services twice a month at a nearby prison, so the way I reacted to him was WAY differnt than I might have in the past. I asked him what he needed and he said work. I asked him what he could do and he said he’d do anything, but that he was a professional painter before going to jail.
I often wonder about the guys I meet inside. What will their lives be like when they get out? In prison they have this great opportunity to re-think, a forced prayer time. Will they make the right choices? Will people accept them?
I realized this moment at the jobsite had nothing to do with how I reacted. The man came in from the street at the perfect time before I had a chance to react. It was really about God showing me something… that he puts the right ideas together so that they can continue to grow… that I’ve come a long way in my thinking, not because of my own doing, but because of the opportunities he has put in front of me. I’m realizing that I don’t think differently about the homeless or prisoners because of my own merit, but because Life has forced me to face the erroneous thinking I’ve been holding on to, and then has forced me to re-consider, to seek a higher view. And all, as you said, “safely”.
A quick update on this story…
The painter I ended up hiring for this project (someone who has done many jobs for me in the past) was able to hire the man that walked in off the street. I saw him working a couple of days ago and struck up a quick conversation with him. He was really enjoying the work, and I could see him express so much love through the tasks he was assigned to.
Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, etc… is not about satisfying a need that would otherwise go unnoticed, because only God knows our true need, and only a knowledge of Him will ultimately satisfy us. It’s really about restoring our understanding of man’s purpose and worth – of every individual created perfectly and uniquely. We are restoring humanity’s view on man as valuable, rather than hungry, needy, or otherwise defective.
Wow Carlos. How simple! I love that Eddy focused on what was really important — God’s love, God’s salvation for man.
Thank you for sharing that. What a powerful reminder of a wonderful truth — God’s love for each of us saves us in whatever way we need.
For me it is not about having some great miracle in these situations, but about improving our thought on man, and seeing that thought expressed in changed circumstances and opportunities. I can understand your situation not feeling “easy”. Are there any opportunities in it to see a blessing?
It is never too late to cease a blessing from an opportunity, no matter how far in the past it seems. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this Isobel…
It isn’t Isobel and we do have to be wise. My daughter told me how someone she knows (or maybe heard about?) was walking down the street and felt nervous when he saw some people who in a group nearby. He felt like he should get out of there, but then thought (since they weren’t the same race), “Don’t be a racist.” And then he got mugged.
So we have to know when to listen to ideas that protect us, too.
Some great stories here. Thank you everyone!
I just heard a very interesting interview on NPR with a behavioral economist, Dan Ariely, who wrote a book called “the Honest Truth about Dishonesty” among others. He has interesting insights on distribution of wealth, essentially, individual wealth versus giving. For instance, everyone he interviewed in the U.S. from all walks of life wanted to live in an egalitarian society where wealth was distributed fairly, more than any nation has achieved in the world, yet they live in a society where 90% have just above zero of the wealth. Yet we don;t live like we feel that way. Instead, people end up putting their resources and even going in to debt to better life and for themselves and their children. (Here in the U.S.) While it’s normal to want to thrive and feel responsible for our family, it;s interesting that we have big hearts and want life to be good for all. I loved thinking about that unselfish desire and how to act on it. I’m searching for how to do more. Maybe modeling my aspirations more after the divine model with the God’s economy where as MBE puts it, “What blesses one blesses all”. So this act for me is about translating that “desire” for equality into “action” to see others as equals in God’s eyes, and pray to see everyone benefitted by the divinely imparted wealth like the golden rays so freely pouring out. That’s the view from my corner of the world in the US… I’d love to hear your view wherever you are!
But it’s not easy… I was thrown with a puzzling circumstance. That the guy who approached me last night in the grocery store parking lot, apparently influenced by some kind of drug, and a bit aggressive, wanting to unload my groceries so I would pay him. Another shopper came and stood by me to make sure I was safe. i admit that he is God’s child the same as me, deserving of God’s wealth as much as anyone. But I did not get a sense of peace on the spot and he was a little aggressive. Even if I wasn’t on my way to the airport, it would have been hard to look him in the eyes and give full respect. I want to prepare myself better next time. Any ideas?
“Charity suffereth long and is kind,” but wisdom must
govern charity, else love’s labor is lost and giving is un‐
kind.” (My. 231)
In my experience, that says it all, Isobel.
It’s all about the Golden Rule. Would YOU push yourself on someone who didn’t ask for help and aggressively expect money? No. Then you tell the person directly “No thanks”, and explain why.
In LA County, with 80,000 homeless people on any given night, incredibly nice homeless missions in downtown sit almost half empty. Why? Because many people on the street won’t put down the drugs and alcohol that’s required before they’ll admit you, and they don’t want to work the required programs (education, counseling, etc.) that will help them permanently.
And why not? Because well-meaning but foolish people keep giving them money when they’re out begging, so they’re able to sustain a self-destructive lifestyle,and there’s no suffering for their sins, which, as CS teaches, is what makes us TURN from the wrong behavior. Giving cash on the street often makes US feel better. It usually hurts the recipient. I’ve worked with homeless folks for 30+ years, and it’s THEIR opinion, not mine, that with very, very, very rare exceptions, giving money just keeps them on the street. In our community, for example, the many wonderful homeless-helping agencies are changing their ways, because after decades of free meals, laundry, message service, clothes, etc., the problem is out of control, and the street people’s response to all the help is often abusive, and more and more ungrateful. At the same time I don’t give cash, I always tell them why not – kindly but directly. I also find that buying somebody a sandwich often works (but often when you offer that, they’re not interested because it was a come-on for cash for drugs/alcohol. Or a better one: you go in a fast=food place and they order the most expensive things on the menu, while you’re ordering the cheap stuff for yourself. Again, the Golden Rule: Tell them, “You know, that’s really not very good manners. What less expensive thing might be just as good?” You’ll get their respect, and this has often lead to lasting friendships). I almost always offer panhandlers my name and phone number (especially when it’s an entire family), tell them about my interest to help them with both healing prayer as well as “human footsteps” and really encourage them to call. 30+ years later, I’ve never had ONE call come from this. I’ve hooked up help for countless homeless people, but not the panhandlers. Another frequently unknown issue is the huge incidence of mental health issues with folks on the street. Most of them have received treatment of various kinds, but they typically refuse to keep going to counseling because of their addictions (what the mental health world calls a “dual diagnosis”), so they can’t get more meds, so their only “treatment” becomes “I just don’t think about it.” Understandably, the issues usually worsen. CS gives a person an immeasurable help in knowing how to respond in a healing way, because it explains that Principled/Truthful and Loving behavior aren’t two different choices for how to respond…they’re synonyms, and required concomitants for any inter-action that genuinely leaves the street person better off than you found them.
Paul, I love your post, and the idea that a “Principled/Truthful and Loving behavior” constitutes the real state of man. We don’t have to sacrifice one for the other!
I’m reminded of a story from “Mary Baker Eddy, Christian Healer” where she relates, “I saw a man crippled so that when he moved he was almost doubled up and had his hands on the ground to assist locomotion. I saw him seated on the curb with his head between his knees, on my way to a patient. As I passed I placed my hand on his head and said, ‘Do you know that Gods love you?’ At once he straightened up, erect as he ever had been.”
Also, from Acts (chapter 3), “A certain man lame from his mother’s womb… whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple… seeing Peter and John… gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength… and entered with them into the temple…”
Both of these men received so much more their poor suffering sense ever thought possible!
“Giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us.” (S&H 79:31)
As a child growing up with my sisters, my dad always reiterated the need to giving unselfishly, love unconditionally, is inclined to help strangers, and finally share the littlest thing we have with others.
My dad asked my sisters and me to run an errand in a different community. After running the errand, we found a stray cat that was cold, hungry, and looked sick. Immediately, my sisters and I looked at each other and had the same idea to pick up the cat to take home.
At home, we feed the cat, loved the cat, and supported the idea that it was not lost and had its right place. My dad got back from work and was impressed by the act of kindness that we decided to show this cat. He further went on to say we had to return the cat which left us heartbroken because he gave us an example saying “If we were all together in a place and he got separated from us what will we do? He explained more by saying, if a stranger approached us and said he will give us food and shelter, would we go with him?” We immediately said no and that we will ask the stranger to help us look for our dad. So my sisters and I understood that the cat had its home and we fed it when it was hungry, gave it shelter, and it was time to return it to its rightful owner.
The next day, we took the cat back to where we found it and gave it to the wife of my dad’s friend: telling her how we found it and wanted to return it. Before we left, my sisters and I knew the cat was in its right place and was never out of the kingdom of God. We left with joy and gratitude because we understood that wherever the cat was going to be, it would be loved and cared for just like the way we treated it.
Amen Carlos! I love how the idea of personal goodness (being good on our own, without God) breaks down, and falls away when we really are feeling the work, the way laid out for us. And then the trick is to keep remembering that we are never the good, charitable one – it’s always God, and we are always the receivers.
I was in a performance recently with a bunch of other musicians and before we all went out on stage one of the ensemble said to us, “We are in the audience” – the implication being that even though we are the performers in this concert, it is God who is putting on the show, and we too are included in the audience of God’s show. We too will reap the blessings of being at God’s concert.
Hi Everyone. Hi Alex. I had another wonderful trip yesterday to the prison I’ve been visiting. For me this has been such a fulfilling, God-led experience. More and more I feel like I’m there to gain, not to give, because it’s not a burden at all, but such a blessing and honor to be a part of their growth and experience.
To give a little background, this was not something that came out of a mere feeling that I should “do something” or “do more”. The opportunity came to me in a time when I was praying very deeply about my use in the world, and what it means to express God daily. I think it’s been a blessed experience because it came out of prayer first, and I think that’s the key to finding the “power” Alex mentions. The good doesn’t come from us, it comes form God. We reflect it. We witness it. I love Jesus’ view that he could of himself do NOTHING. So often we feel responsible for solving the problems of the world, and we are left tired or discouraged.
I have been learning that my job in this world is simply to SEE God. The more I spend time on this, the more I am led to opportunities to express love which are right for me, where I can do the most good without harm to myself or others. This prison work has felt so natural, so effortless, it truly has felt like I’m merely witnessing God at work. And I’ve been so impressed with the receptivity and thoughtfulness I have found in this prison. What courage these men show! What humility! I even had one guy tell me that ending up in prison was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He could see God’s protection in that result. I’ve wondered… would I be able to think of that situation in the same way? I’m amazed at the strength and humility of that thought. Like I said… I’m the one learning here!
I’ll report more on this work as the summer progresses, but I’ll leave you with this: we can accomplish the best good in prayer first, the type of prayer that acknowledges God’s goodness and omnipotence. This prayer often leads to human action which feels natural and blesses all, including ourselves, because God’s action is always a perfect blessing. It is God who does the work. Our job is to see it, understand it, and rejoice.
I find that people want to do good in the world, but very often are baffled at how to do good, and so sometimes give up. On the other side of the coin, folks who have found a way that they can make a difference, often POUR themselves into it. Maybe more than anything, people want to feel useful.
So, how do you find the power, the means, to help? What has worked?
In the presence of a way to help, people naturally will help!
RE: Amy – You are right… “and a little child shall lead them”… Nothing like the pure hearts of children to show us our prejudices and hardened sensitivities. In the daily walk of my “grown-up” life, it is a challenge to always be able to give. It’s not that it’s not in my heart to do so, but giving money doesn’t always seem right, doesn’t seem to be enough somehow, and I am not sure if I can give them what they want. I’m not proud to admit it but these feelings make it easier sometimes to avoid walking too closely to a homeless person who is begging for money. I think that is why it has become meaningful to approach them, to look them in the eye with a smile, ask them how things are going, friend to friend. To step up to love, I have to see them as God’s child, as never invisible to God, whether or not I give food/money. On the way back out of the store, they always acknowledge me with a warm greeting and smile and often remember me the next time. That exchange brings out the bright shining divinity in the humanity of the moment. It cuts through an us & them or have/have not with respect and acknowledgement. It’s exchanging God’s currency, God’s supply of friendly goodness and love. That’s something I always want to be able to give freely. There are more ways that I give to help the hunger situation in my town. I’ve raised money, given extra food and produce from my garden, done benefits for food banks. None of those stories are quite as interesting to me as the challenge of greeting someone on the street and acknowledging their spiritual status.
Because They Needed to be Loved:
Promoting Jesus’s Teachings Through Radical Acts
Ryan Winslow
One pair of shoes: Shoes came in twos but rarely did laces or soles. One cart held the pantry, the closet, the bed, the garbage, the attic and whatever he had. He had neighbors who never had much to say or time to spare or money to share but still, he had neighbors. And I, I was new in town. I couldn’t help but notice he didn’t seem to have a home, a comb, or a reason to smile. So I asked him to lunch with me and lunching sounded grand to the both of us. That day I fed the hungry. We exchanged our stories over soup and a sandwich, which seemed to do us both some great good. He was hard of hearing and I was soft spoken but we both knew to smile and nod because in that moment, he needed to be loved and be loved as a child of God.
Another day, in another way, I acted with Christ in my heart. I noticed a couple who coupled with anger—one angry, one crying, one yelling, one sighing—oh what children they seemed to be. Children they weren’t but children they are in the arms and the eyes of God. So I paused for a moment to mention a motion that they come have lunch with me. And the couple who coupled with anger and crying were smiling, just smiling at me. Then we sat and we lunched, one with soup, one with sandwich, and me, I saw Love come around. So I loved and they loved and Christ fed the hungry and we all were sure hungry that day. And I witnessed the center–that center of affection where home and heaven are found. Full with loaves and with fishes and other such dishes, we all simply went on our way. But the couple that coupled with anger before now held hands in their “home” that same day.
My third story happened while driving around late at night, well downtown and quite lost. I had stopped at a light and I got a small fright when a tapping was heard on the glass. I rolled down the window for a woman who wanted what no one had yet asked me for. She just needed a ride to a shelter to hide from the storm and she asked nothing more. She promised my safety and thanked God for kindness. She was weary, and weathered, and worn. But her heart knew of angels. Her heart knew of home and she understood Truth to be true. My life was inspired, being led by the Christ and I’m sure that your life could be too.
I’ve been spending several afternoons each month with an accused murderer, too young to drive a car. He’s being tried as an adult, and could possibly never be released for as long he lives.
I’ve found that offering unproven, arms-length platitudes to someone in situations like this doesn’t have a scintilla of healing effect. The need and demand is to reach right into their hearts and souls with the most absolute sense of God that can be communicated.
My friend likes music, and really related to a verse from David’s “tunes”: “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Ps. 61) He was encouraged by The Message’s translation of a verse from Jeremiah: “This is God’s word…I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out – plans to take care of you, (and) not abandon you – plans to give you the future you hope for.”
This young man’s greatest hope comes from starting to understand that regardless of what we’ve done or not done, our forever and only identity (not just his, but the gangster enemies that surround him in his jail unit also) is beloved hijos de dios. There’s been modest-appearing but wonderful progress and change in my friend’s character, as he’s started internalizing these truths. He told me with great satisfaction that he’d started saying “Thank you” when one of his enemies handed him something in class. “And you know what”, he said with a joyful sense of spiritual power, “they were totally shocked at first, but now they’ve started saying ‘Thank you’ back to me.” He told of how he and another former enemy had stepped apart from the main group one day, and both boys briefly wished each other well in their upcoming trials. Not a big thing in the “outside” world that you and I inhabit. But in the highly magnified “inside” world of incarcerated gang interaction, this was a very big deal.
We concluded our visit last week reading together the words of Hymn 148. It made us both feel like we’d temporarily transcended the oppressive surroundings we meet in.
In heavenly Love abiding,
No change my heart shall fear;
And safe is such confiding,
For nothing changes here.
The storm may roar without me,
My heart may low be laid;
But God is round about me,
And can I be dismayed?
Paul, what a great story. Thank you so much for sharing…
I’ve been visiting a prison in the Houston area since January and will be reporting on that a bit later. What wonderful deliverance awaits the captive heart!
I loved reading all the responses to this powerful radical act. When I encounter the homeless, I have felt insecure and frightened. I took a trip to New York through discovery bound and found that it is one of the most happening places in the world….the rumors are true. But after the first day of experiencing this amazing city I found I was most attracted to the homeless sitting everywhere. I thought of everything I was participating in, in this vacation and could not rid my thought of how blessed I am and why these people did not live like me.
The next morning at our buffet style breakfast I waited for everyone to go through the line and get the food they wanted. I proceeded to ask the adults what they did with the extra food, when they responded having no idea, I started shoving tons and tons of fruit, cereal boxes, and chew bars into my backpack. I told everyone I’d be really hungry later. For the rest of the day I walked in the back of the group and handed my backpack food out to the homeless people I saw.
I no longer saw them as scary but felt empowered that I was able to meet a need at that moment in time. I think about this special vacation for me often and wonder if I can do more in my day to day experience.
Melody this is so awesome. What a beautiful thing to do!
Hi everyone! I am so delighted with all your comments. My hope for this summer is not merely awakening a desire to “do something” for those in need, but to dig deeper and discuss the type of perspective which enabled Jesus to see past a “person in need” and bring about reformation. To heal, to transform, to set someone free. Well, I think we have started to do that already!
Keep it up! I am so excited about this adventure we’re embarking on…
Dear Carlos and all,
I’m inspired by the idea of digging deeper not just to “do something” but to feel and live the motivation behind Jesus’s work. In my studies and prayer I feel like Jesus didn’t “will” or “force” anything. He simply lived good, God in every action. I feel like it’s almost so simple that we often miss it. His parables and experiences are not rocket science for me. They are just pure and simple Love expressed through action.
Thanks for this reminder. :)
Ian
I again agree – and here’s a little story about just how simple it is, like your own story:
For the first time in my life, I was living in a city in a dorm without a car and needed to stock my fridge with food and drinks for each meal that I’d have to also provide myself with. Then it hit me, I don’t have a car to load groceries into, I’ll be walking – how will this work? So I thought a bit and realized I could take my duffle and stuff some things in there, too. But I was still worried – would that be enough? God answered, “Just don’t worry about it, it’ll all work out” –
I had many opportunities to go shopping before my roommate came, but I thought, no, she’ll need food, too, when she gets here and we’ll be eating together at times, I want to do my shopping with her. Lo and behold, when she finally arrives a day and several hours after me, her parents came with her, with a car…and we store we ended up deciding to go to happened to have a parking lot. Everything worked out without a single more worry from me.
I’ve enjoyed living like this, and loving each other is no different (i.e. feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and sheltering strangers and visiting prisons)…in fact, my brother and I were also hopping around place from place and at time with my mother for the first week of summer, but we were ALWAYS provided for. And when we were thinking we were low on money and found ourselves at a hotel where the breakfast served was a $10 buffet (even if we just wanted a bowl of cereal) and in the morning, we woke up, met a couple in the elevator and found out from talking with them that apparently electricity and hot water were out previously in the morning (before we woke up) and therefore, when we went to breakfast, they never asked for money and we didn’t find out til the end of our meal that it’s because they were giving it for free that day because power was out. My mom was in tears….I could keep going on as to just how much it’s God, OUR Father-Mother, that provides for each one of every day….people are only REsources, and God is the only source.
Carlos-
Your words are so true. That quality of honesty is so powerful and wonderful-and so is that unselfed expression of humility for all we are, for God’s ideas that include everyone.
Isobel — your daughter’s desire that everyone be housed (and her inability to turn a blind eye to the needs of the homeless) reminds me of something that happened to me with my daughter a few years back.
We’d been a Sunday School workshop and open house at the Mother Church during Annual Meeting time. There was more food than was eaten and one of the caterers encouraged me to take a platter of cheese home with me. I thought it would be a good treat for the people who we were staying with so I took it.
We walked 3 blocks to the subway with this enormous tray. As soon as we passed through the doors to station we saw a man who was homeless and who seemed especially needy. I asked him if he wanted some cheese and fruit. He gave us an enthusiastic yes. I started doling it out onto a napkin and my daughter (maybe 8 at the time) said, “Mom, give him the whole tray!”
That man was thrilled. I don’t know what I was holding the food back for, but it was that childlike clarity that taught me something about giving with my whole heart. And that whole heart included praying for that man and other homeless people with more consistency ever since.
My sweet 4 y.o girl was disturbed for weeks when she discovered there were people who did not have homes hanging out on street corners of our city, often scrounging for meals. She was baffled that they didn’t have what she did and really wanted to do something about it. Her empathy was a wake-up call to examine in myself if I was modeling the Christian life I knew was possible. I knew I could do better. We talked about praying for them to discover the home God is providing for them because a home exists for them as God is not impartial. We had great intentions, sometimes we managed to carry extra soccer snacks, a bag of oranges. But if we forgot to have food to give, I made a point to greet each person by making eye contact and wishing them well sometimes offering prayer, often buying the homeless newspaper they sell. Many reply with joyful appreciation to be acknowledged. One day, I was taking a walk and prayer break at a viewpoint overlooking our city. I felt impelled to pray for the homeless with a tender sense of compassion, acknowledging God’s love and provision for those in need. I felt a Christly sense of Love wash over my heart and the whole city. Within a day, I found a homeless person sleeping on my porch! Surprise! I made a sandwich and cup of coffee for him before he went on his way. A couple days later, another one was asleep on my porch. There were more encounters this week, then it stopped. It seems to me like an example of how our prayer connects us to the opportunities to care for our neighbors in tangible ways. It’s time again for me to wake up to loving God’s children in all walks of life. I know I can do better. My art studio is in an area of town with many homeless people and I meet them constantly while in the neighborhood. I’ll begin by slowing down to say hello and see where my prayers take me this time. Putting the prayer out there and I might be surprised again.
I had similar experiences while living in France, Alex. I had a broken leg and people picked me up and even sometimes turned from the direction they had been headed to get me where I needed to go.
I didn’t hitchhike in the States during the same time period and I was wary of the warnings. I made sure that I prayed and listened when I did it in France. I didn’t take every ride and I used public transportation when possible. And truth be told, I don’t want my daughter–or her friends–to give it a go. ;)
I totally hear you Amy. It’s always right to listen!
I love that the Bible tells us to be “given to hospitality.”
Over many years, I hitchhiked thousands of miles, and all the while lots of people were telling me I shouldn’t because it was so dangerous. Meanwhile, God was telling me, “You are innocent. People are innocent. There is only love between you.” Again and again and again, over and over, I met wonderful kind people who blessed me and were ready to be blessed by me.
I met hundreds of people over that time and we were all fed by the meetings. Seeing the real man really enables AWESOME interactions that break from fear and open up paths for us to really feel good and be useful.
I was hungry and homeless in Kyoto, Japan. Reggie, A French guy who I met through couch surfing, gave me enough money to get back to Tokyo, and we blew all the money he had on expensive sushi and spent the last of our cash on getting into a rave at a club called “The Womb” with the intention to crash somewhere in the booming darkness.
It was so packed that we left around 2 AM and found a park of homeless people nearby. We both spent the night there that night, sleeping on cardboard with rocks for pillows. That night staring up into the sky I heard the voice of Jesus in my head, “Foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”
I felt so comforted and close to the Father.
We decided to move on around dawn and scrounged up enough change to get on a metro that went in a circle with heated seats. Around the tenth loop I remembered there was a place we could go for shelter and peace on that Sunday morning.
We showed up at the First Church of Christ, Scientist Tokyo and after the service an American couple offered us a place to stay. Reggie already had a place, but I still had one night before my flight back to China. This beautiful couple took me back to their home, cooked me dinner, let me shower, and gave me a bed to sleep in.
I never imagined that I would ever be the hungry who needed feeding or the smelly stranger to be sheltered, but in this case I was. And it taught me that God always provides and that his children are everywhere if we just open our hearts and our eyes.
Thank you to all those who live Jesus’ teachings. Whether it seems big or small to you, his words turned into actions transform lives.
Just wanted to say I kind of loved reading this comment. That Japan adventure sounds amazing, except maybe the sleeping on rocks part. I really want to visit Tokyo, and choosing expensive sushi and partying at Womb over a sensible hotel is exactly something I would do…but interestingly, in all the situations I’ve made, um, questionable decisions–or been in less-than-stable environments (plenty of raves)–I’ve felt protected and cared for too. And always had solutions unexpectedly provided when I needed them ^_^
I always wanted to have a big family. When I was a kid, I told everyone I wanted 18 kids and I didn’t really shift my plans until I became a full-fledged adult. I ended up with just one kid so I’ve made up for the small number by inviting pretty much anyone and everyone into our home — sometimes to the dismay of the one other person who legitimately lays claim to a bed in our apartment.
We’ve housed family, friends, friends who are family, friends of friends and sometimes people with a really tenuous link to anyone we know. Sometimes even people we don’t know at all. We live in NYC and people are always looking for a decent place to stay. ;)
Once I got a request from someone my father knew to take in a couple she knew for a few days. It wasn’t a good time. I was overwhelmed at work, getting ready for a work trip, and my personal life was closing in on me too. I said no. But I felt bad so I offered to try to find them some place else to stay.
That was more work than just letting them stay at the apartment. And something or Someone (God!) told me to reconsider so I went back and said they could come.
It was a huge, huge blessing. I knew it the minute they walked in the door. I can’t tell you how much fun we had with these people. But it was more than the laughs and good company. They are spiritual seekers and livers and my daughter and I saw firsthand how they put God’s laws into practice…just in those 3 days. They agreed to meet with a group of young people we knew who aspired to be in the same business this couple was in and I watched them share the truth about the way God set things up in the most natural way that I don’t know that the kids even knew that they were being fed solid spiritual concepts. It was awe inspiring and has helped me shift the way I connect with others, too.
I don’t always take in everyone who asks these days. It just isn’t always possible. But I still say, shelter strangers when God tells you to. Treat people the way you’d like to be treated if you were in the same situation. You are going to be blessed.