A Dilemma Over Shoes

The cultural adjustment continues as I learn to navigate the road of requests and needs presented to me daily. I have never had anyone ask me for shoes before until coming to India. Even the poor in American have decent shoes most of the time.  Here, weekly I am presented with the dilemma of children and workers asking me for shoes. My heart throbs as they ask.  I want to give each one new shoes. I see their need even when they don’t ask.  I see their bare feet in the cold 30 degree weather. I see their toes peeking out of the holes in their shoes.

My heart throbs and I cry out, “Father, I don’t know what to do? I can’t afford shoes for each person that comes to my door. If I give to one boy, what about the other 5 boys  that he walks with each day?  What about his family back home who also need shoes. What about the village he returns to.  What should I do?”

I am reminded of the verses the big book has to say about giving.  It is better to give than to receive; to treat others as yourself; to look at one another as your brother or sister; to think and act as the Son; to give out of what you don’t have to prove your love to Dad.

I felt the Father ask me, “If it were your son who needed shoes, what would you do?”  If my son asked me for shoes, I would make a way.  If it were my sister in need, I would hope someone would have compassion and help her. If it were me, coming to the door of a “rich American” and I saw all they had inside their home, their warm fire, their needs met, their shoe collection, I would expect them to give as well. And in this way, I felt the check of the Spirit. I felt his voice say, “Give until you can’t”. “Give until giving is not possible.”


It is true, I can’t put shoes on every person’s feet, but as people ask I can give what I can in that moment.  I can give even when it hurts.  I can give in faith, trusting Dad to provide. I can give this time, and hope next time I can as well. I can give until I can’t give anymore, and at that point, I can say no and ask Dad to help them.  But at this point, I can say yes. I can give today. I can give and trust Dad to meet the needs of the other 5 boys, of the need’s of the boy’s family, of the village back home. Today, I  can give.  Today, when the boy asks for new shoes, I will say yes.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Bhindi or “Tikka” Mark on the Head- What is it?

Image
(Pooja tikka mark) Many westerners have asked me what the Bhindi or red “tikka” mark means or why I am willing to wear it as a Chri$tian. Many people associate this mark with H!nduism. In my contextualization classes we were taught about finding the difference between culture and religion. The scripture is clear that we don’t want to do anything to compromise our Chri$tian faith and values. At the same time the go$pel is full of the liberties that Chri$t brought to us through the cross. We are no longer obligated to religious practices and rituals. Chri$t fulfilled the law. As we work with non-believers we don’t want to make Chri$tianity another religion. We don’t want to make following Chri$t more difficult than it has to be. Following Je$us doesn’t have to mean abandoning culture, it just has to mean abandoning any other faith or practices of that faith. As teachers, we have to help our disciples find this difference as they come to follow the Father more and more. We don
Read more

But God...

Every Knee Will Bow And Every Tongue Will Confess Truly everywhere we look is need- physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual. I see the man with elephantitis lift his giant leg to shift his position as he sits on a mat begging for money on the side of the road. I see a woman sitting on a patch of grass on the edge of a busy highway practicing her meditation attempting to find her inner peace. I see a young girl on her way to school stop to touch the street cow and then touch her own forehead in hopes that her Hindu practices will reap the blessing from her god (cow). Simultaneously, I see a shop keeper allow the giant cow to mosey along his street front restaurant; he even offers the cow freshly made roti (bread) as to not offend his “god” passing by. I see another person practicing yoga with all the pristine positions and poses. Her breaths are well practiced, yet her face is stricken with the look of anxiety and distress.  I see a young man who was
Read more

The ugliness I sometimes see

Image
We returned home today, August 18th, to the vastly different country that I now call "home". The things I so easily become immune to while living here rage their ugly heads whenever I return. It’s a mini culture shock and re-initiation if you will. I watched from my hotel window as a woman outside bathed her child in brown water. They live in an uncompleted brick shack with holes and a plastic sheet roof that monsoon has mostly destroyed already. Besides the beauty in the color of the scraps of clothes they are wearing there is nothing beautiful to the sight. No running water, no comforts to enjoy- simply day to day survival. My heart broke as I watched her. I looked down to my own sleeping baby tucked away in a nice crib with clean sheets and clean clothes. Sin is a horrible thing! It’s mared the world God created and his original beauty designed. It’s brought sickness, poverty, and brokenness. My heart aches for this woman, and at the same time rejoices in the
Read more