Using What We've Got
Do you hesitate to give someone money if you think he will use it for drugs?
Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. - Matthew 5:42
In today's Gospel, Jesus seems to be telling us not to judge the beggar or borrower, but that is not easy to do, is it? No one wants to be taken advantage of, nor do we want to contribute to a bad habit.
One of the guys I see every day responded to my inquiry on how he was doing by saying, "I'm OK today. But I know if I get in a bind I can always ask you for ten dollars."
There was no hesitation when he said that. He really meant it. He sees me as someone who cares and would gladly respond to a request. Some would call me a sap, or would warn against being so accessible, but that wouldn't be me.
Ah, but there is more to what Jesus expects of us, more than giving to those who beg or seek to borrow. He wants us to love our enemies. That may be a but harder.
I can pray for someone who has harmed me. Usually that prayer has a lot to do with changing the other person so he won't hurt anyone again, but it is still a prayer, and maybe I can get away with that. But the love part is the challenge.
I think Jesus is trying to show us how his Father in heaven sees us, all of us, even the other guy who is such a bastard in our eyes.
After all, we are the same in their eyes or in the eyes of someone else, aren't we?
We can only begin to get a glimpse of the way God sees his creation when we take pride, ego and judgment out of the equation. But like the nuclei of our cells, these things are hard to extract from our being. Without them, who are we? What are we?
I can't help but think that we are made in God's image, so these traits that we hold dear, that make us who we are, are probably his also. And yet he loves us as he loves himself.
The ego helps us love ourselves. Pride energizes us to do it. And judgment keeps us on track. So, rather than eliminate them, perhaps we should train them to help us do the right thing.
Work with what we have rather than invent something new?
Why not? It's worth a try, isn't it?
Now, let's see if I can love the other guy.
More to come...