There have been floods, mudslides, and tornadoes in the Washington
state area. At church this morning, during the part of the service in
which people share their joys and concerns for prayer, a lady was
talking about her husband interacting with people at work who have lost
their homes. They are impatient and they do not know how exactly to
move on, she said. I’d be the same way if that happened to me.
During the sermon, the pastor was talking about a homeless lady he
met this week. She and her children live in a minivan. She called the
pastor and asked for $25 to fill up her minivan. The pastor went to
fill it up and noticed that she was continually smiling. She said that
she was smiling for herself and her children. I have never been in that
sort of situation, but I can identify. I doubt that I myself would be
able to be happy and to show happiness in that sort of situation, but I
would be grateful if others tried to keep hope alive. That would make
the situation a little more bearable.
The pastor was talking about privilege and how he is tempted to take
refuge in the privileges that come from his job and who he is (I presume
he meant a white male). I think that it is important for me to hear
about people’s problems and struggles. Of course, social privilege does
not stop every problem—-floods, mudslides, tornadoes, disease. Maybe
it helps people cope with them a little better. I recently got an
e-mail from the pastor of the Presbyterian church that I attended in
upstate New York. Someone in the church there is raising money for a
family whose home burned down. They did not have insurance because,
notwithstanding their hard work, they could not afford the premiums.
Hearing these sorts of stories should make me more sensitive to
people’s needs. I have helped some people through donations, and some
people I have not helped because I have been busy. I know that I cannot
help everyone. I should be willing to help at least someone.