So I was riding the bus, yesterday I guess it was, when I met this homeless man at the bus stop in front of Saint Joseph Hospital. It was not I who made the first motion to speak but he. He walked past me and merely said “Well….I guess I haven’t missed the bus cuz urs still here.” I merely chuckled and replied “Well if you have we’re both in trouble.” He went on to tell to pull out a cigarette and rip off the butt/filter as to get the most nicotine out of the whole routine. Now I must be honest I was a bit nervous at riding this public method of transportation. I had never rode the city bus before and was not sure on where to get on, or even if I was getting on the right bus. The man I guess could sense this because he asked me if I had rode the bus before which I replied I had not. He coached me on the process of getting my ticked and paying for my way as well as what bus to get on to when we got to the bus station. He then told me different stories about his life and how he had different experiences through different stages in life. We then arrived at the bus station and when we were both getting off he turned to me and said “well it was nice knowing you friend I hope all goes well for you.” I replied with the same. Sad thing is I never asked what his name was.
The ironic thing was that I watched a movie last night as well. A movie called the soloist, which is based on a true story. It was about a homeless man who had gone to a higher up orchestra school but had dropped out his sophomore year due to his skits frantic/autistic mind. He soon after became homeless playing a two string violin. His favorite composer is Beethoven, a well known musical composer. A reporter meets him and the story takes off from there… (If you ever get the chance be sure to watch it. It’s a touching story that has deeper message.)
I guess your wandering what I am trying to get at through all this garble. The church I go to isn’t a “cool” church. The people there are not interested in looking or being “cool”. They don’t really follow up on the trends or see what the latest fashions. We have a van ministry where I attend, one that goes out into the rougher parts of the neighborhoods. I ride these vans as often as I can and on the route we pick up an middle aged lady named Laura. Laura does not have the ability to talk due to leakage in one of her heart valves. But I can tell you this she has taught me a lot about joy in life. Every time she gets on the van she has this immense smile on her face that brightens my day greatly. I think it is sooo sad that we try to portray Christianity as being some kind of trendy thing. We try to wear the right clothes or pray with the right kind of words. We try to find our identity through one stereotype or the other. When in all reality God calls us to find our identity through him. And yes that even means we have to love the kids that come from the unstable homes that are sometimes just a pain to deal with (just being honest). God calls us to love unconditionally. I often find myself asking what that means…. “Unconditionally”. I can tell you what it means….It means we should love without an agenda. And I can tell you what it is but practicing it, is still something that I struggle with and must continue to pray about every day.
All I can ask is that we see things through God’s eyes and not through a lens that is MANmade. That we draw closer to him and let him mold and shape every part of us according to his will.
Shalom and God bless
