Today we served alongside SLAM students in a setting where we cleaned and helped provide meals, snacks, and hygiene products for the homeless. There were so many who came through the doors from very different walks of life, with stories of challenges, regrettable choices, and some with no escape. For some, outward appearances suggested they were content with their current place in life. Still others were struggling with apparent fear, some protective of the women and children in the room, and others just thirsting for conversation and to feel seen. A distinct aroma permeated the room, one that hovered in the senses after leaving that feels heavy with responsibility.
As I reflected on this and conversations with my partner from Uganda today, I was struck by the contrast between my life, the lives of those we served, and the lives of those we will serve in his home country. I thought of the choices we make, those made for us, and the consequences of them. I cannot say I was surprised. I can say that the experience today challenges me not to be skeptical because of the escalating scamming efforts in the United States with a homeless person peddling on every corner or the very scary manipulations of government control around the world. It challenges me rather to remain open, to love like Jesus with wisdom and innocence.
It also reminds me that I am responsible for what I do in response …not what another does with what I do.