Jak Hardy
WRITER (51-100 posts)
 POETRY CONTEST WINNER
Posts : 82
Age : 27
Join date : 2011-11-07
Location : Sunshine Coast, Australia
 | | The Christian, The Prostitute and The Destitute | |
The Christian, The Prostitute and The DestituteBillowing burqas and bustling bazaars are the curtains drawing in a great circus of colour. The daily grind of Phuket clothes a naked hospitality - a raw devotion - in the garb of poverty, promiscuity and crime. And when you're stuck in an endless musical of "tuk tuk" and "massage" it becomes way too easy to tune out and begin to identify people by the traditions, situations and lifestyles that robe them. And then to ignore them. Bypass them. Cast aside and curse.
But behind every beggar is a derelict soul that hungers for wholeness. Behind every escort is a battered heart trying to survive the day. Behind every delinquent is a blind reject stumbling to find another way. In Phuket, in 2004, a tsunami devoured an entire suburb. It's easy for us to forget - the physical wounds are completely shrouded. But watching the beach that had for so long been host to their unique way of life transform into a graveyard overnight is, for most, a memory too hard to suppress.
The truth is that whether you perceive it or not, all troubling people - third world or first world - are themselves troubled. But beneath their troubles and their acting out is a divine potential - a plan and purpose written by life's Author Himself, long before time. He alone constructs the characters and we would do well not to alter them without His permission.
In Acts 3:1-10, we learn of Peter and John's own exchange with such a outcast. The man was a lifelong beggar. The kind of person we would purposely overlook. The person whose services we would decline; whose smile we would not reciprocate, for some incredulous fear. Peter and John didn't ignore him though. They also didn't give him the money for which he begged. I'm sure they could have asked a few of the other disciples to chip in, if they thought it wise. However, instead of ignoring the man, and instead of acknowledging only his superficial needs, they compassionately and wisely responded to far deeper cries - for restoration and healing.
They lived the gospel; they lived out the Great Commission and command. I happen to think that when Jesus commanded us to "go into all the world and preach the good news", he meant that wherever God leads us and in whichever situation we find ourselves - we should emanate the same good news with our words and deeds. Does that mean we shouldn't judge? We MUST judge. But we judge in love, empowered by God's authority and with wisdom. Living judicially, rather than judgementally. Does that mean we shouldn't say no to what they offer? We MUST make healthy and holy choices. What it DOES mean is that we return a smile. We politely decline. We pray for the beggar - with him present or without him. It means that we imitate Christ and the apostles, as we're directed. He becomes known because we choose to love; we die to ourselves and profess to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified. It was Jesus lifting people to their feet, praying for them and having lunch with them that changed their lives. Taking moments to identify with them, to purposefully take a short moment and ooze His love on to them. No matter how sinful and sooty they were. Love doesn't ignore. He's patient. Kind. He treats each individual with selfless honour. In fact, He treated exactly the same way. "And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!" Matthew 25:45 "Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers; you may be entertaining angels without even knowing!" Hebrews 13:2 | |
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