Poverty takes many forms

[reen12]

The poor you will always have with you…Mark 14:7
-Jesus of Nazareth

Jesus was referring, here, to those who are poor, in tems of this world’s goods -
or those lacking even the necessities of life.

I’m thinking, this afternoon, of those of us who are destitute in other ways.
Poverty takes many forms.

Those who lack compassion for others, are also in poverty.
Those who share not with the poor, are inwardly poor, themselves
Those who refuse to visit the sick, in their own families, where possible, evince poverty of heart.
Those who have contempt for the sinful, are very poor.
Those, who speak self-righteously - know not of their own inner poverty.
Those, who ridicule or condemn others, show their own lack. They are wanting in mercy and humility. They, too, are poor.
Those, who put possession of this world’s goods - above every other reality - are destitute themselves, inwardly.

Jesus was right. The poor we will always have with us,
and poverty takes many forms. I ask God to deliver me
from my own poverty of heart.

reen12

 

[JimR-OCDS]

How true!

There are different forms of poverty as you point out. The one that I see most is poverty of character.

Jim

 

[reen12]

quote: JimR-OCDS

How true!

There are different forms of poverty as you point out. The one that I see most is poverty of character.

That’s interesting. As I see my own ‘poverty,’ in so many ways,
I see poverty, so often, in the inability to place oneself in another’s position - seeing the world through their eyes.
It’s not a lack of compassion, necessarily, just a poverty of both applied thought and the sometimes thin gruel of imagination. Seeing not, through the eyes of another.

From this comes many woundings.
As Dives stepped over Lazarus - thinking him an annoyance,
at best, or perhaps not seeing him at all.

Thank you for your thought on this, JimR-OCDS.

reen12

 

[reen12]

I’m trying to understand why some seem to
lack even the capacity to truly “see” others.

A kind of spiritual blindness? A lack of in"sight" ?

Which is particularly puzzling, in those who
have known much suffering in their own life.
Why would they not see the pain, in the lives of others?

I have to ask myself “When have I stepped over others,
like Dives - not even seeing them?”

Who is left out of my charity, because they see not
the pain around them?

If you do good to others, because they are good to you,
what merit is there in that?
-Jesus of Nazareth

reen12

 

[InLight247]

I’m trying to understand why some seem to
lack even the capacity to truly “see” others.

It is probably to do with “self-centeredness” and “indifference”.
In other words, lack of empathy could be from lack of compassion.

 

[tessi]

It would be interesting to post our own poverties, not others’.

 

[dang71]

It would be interesting to post our own poverties, not others’.

i don’t think it is reen’s intent to point out the “speck in someone else’s eye”, but to make a topic for conversation so we can then examine our own lives (to remove the branch from our own eye). but tessi does have a good point, and so i would like to reveal that my poverty (or rather, one of the many) is a maturity of faith/spirituality.

 

[MarieVeronica]

Thank you for the reminders, reen. There is much to think about here. I’m sure all of us, can find ourselves somewhere in these words.

I can think of one other “blaring” form of poverty… which, oddly… seems so often, to go unnoticed… in this era which holds youth and beauty… in such high esteem.

The poverty I am speaking of… is old age. We, who are younger… are often so smug and self assured… about doing this and doing that… going here and going there. But there are so many, many elderly people… sitting on the sidelines, just waiting and hoping for a kind word… or a smile from someone.

This is a lesson which I pray that I will learn. Please pray for the elderly. I think it was Mother Teresa who said… “One of the worst forms of poverty is loneliness”. She was so right.

 

[reen12]

quote: tessi

It would be interesting to post our own poverties, not others’.

I think that God loves us - and forgives, tessi, if we will but consider our own poverties, in the quiet of our heart, asking Him to forgive, in His mercy.

A Christian is urged not to “throw the first stone,” which, so doing, is an expression of inner poverty, in and of itself. http://bestsmileys.com/nono/9.gif

quote: reen12

I have to ask myself “When have I stepped over others,
like Dives - not even seeing them?”

Who is left out of my charity, because they see not
the pain around them?

There was a rich man, who dressed in purple garments and fine linen, and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps - that fell from the rich man’s table. Luke 16



Who do I step over? Who is Lazarus in* my* life?
Who am I busily correcting - seeing not the beam in my own eye?

Can I ‘picture’ in my mind - another…laying where Lararus lay?

Do I step over those who have sinned? Should not these be in my charity?
Do I even *pray *for them?
Are they Lazarus, too?

Who do I step over, in contempt?
Do I say to myself, each day: Thank God I am not like him?

Thank God - that He is not like us. That He cradles our hearts,
knowing - in what ways - we are like Lazarus, too.

reen12

 

[reen12]

quote: dang71

i don’t think it is reen’s intent to point out the “speck in someone else’s eye”, but to make a topic for conversation so we can then examine our own lives (to remove the branch from our own eye). but tessi does have a good point, and so i would like to reveal that my poverty (or rather, one of the many) is a maturity of faith/spirituality.

Thanks, dang71, for seeing where I was coming from. I’m grateful for your understanding.
And I’ve thought about what you are saying, here. tessi does have a good point.

Where to begin?

I hold contempt - toward those who do not “plan ahead,” in life, where practicable.

This creates a hefty judgemental attitude, in me.
And you know what, dang71? I don’t even know how not to think in this way.
It’s automatic. Mercy goes out the window. Compassion is long gone, by the
time I finish “assessing” this lack of planning and forethought, by another. I don’t even know what kind of inner poverty this is, and would be grateful for the thought of others, in trying to
understand what kind of inner poverty this reflects.

Thank you, tessi. I learned from you, today, and you, too, dang71.

reen12

 

[reen12]

Loved your post, MarieVeronica.
[Have to go and make dinner, before I fall on my nose.]
Be back later this evening, hoping to offer reflections
on that which you wrote.

reens

 

[sawman]

Late have I loved You,
O Beauty ever ancient, ever new,
Late have I loved You.

Poverty of time, wasted, lost, frittered,dazed in distraction.
Time lost because of hardness and bitterness and ignorance.

You called, You shouted,
and You broke through my deafness,

The Son of Man came to seek out the lost
and lead them to salvation.

Have mercy on me!
You who were wounded for my sake!
You took upon Your self unjustified wounds
That I may be healed.

 

[reen12]

-for the most part, from the Psalms

What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?
Or the son of man, that Thou art concerned about him?

From the ends of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed.
The Lord hears my cries…
In the day of trouble He will conceal me in the shadow of His wings,
He will lift me high up upon a rock.

You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.

O Thou beauty everlasting, Thou Ancient of Days,
Be with us now, and forever…

reen12

 

[reen12]

quote: MarieVeronica

The poverty I am speaking of… is old age…there are so many, many elderly people… sitting on the sidelines, just waiting and hoping for a kind word… or a smile from someone.

This is a lesson which I pray that I will learn. Please pray for the elderly. I think it was Mother Teresa who said…
“One of the worst forms of poverty is loneliness”. She was so right.

I know this is true, MarieVeronica. Often, the eyes of the very aged become alight with hope and happiness, when one, passing by in a nursing home corridor, at least smiles, acknowledging their very existence.

Like sprinkling water on a little plant that is drooping, another human being now has the light of hope in their eyes. “I am seen.”
This “water” is holy water, in a real sense.

And this is where those who suffer from depression - or myriad other illlnesses of the mind, can, in their brokenness, bring living waters to those who are so lonely, even in the midst of many other people, in a nursing home.
Sometimes, the ‘vessels’ carrying this water, may be broken or even shattered.



Yet they hear the cry of the poor, wherever this cry is heard, because they may feel empty inside, themselves - because of this illness of mind.

And, one day, the helper and the helped [who were helpers, too]
will join hands and dance with joy, together, with the
Lord of the Dance.

Dance, dance, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He.
And I’ll lead you all wherever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said He.

cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/o/r/lordoftd.htm



reens

 

[ncjohn]

I think, Reen, that in the early part of life, especially in our culture, the emphasis is put on “succeeding”. That is probably true in most cultures, and of most parents, as it is natural for us to want our children to have things “better” than we did.

For those who are born with a huge “leg up” on the rest of the world, the emphasis is put on “conserving” what we have and success is measured by either adding to the money pile or at the least not squandering it.

I think both of these lead to a tendency toward self-centeredness and an inability or unwillingness to consider how our actions might affect those around us. In some cases to possibly not even “see” those around us, like Dives.

It may be that for the majority of us, it takes a wounding–a realization that we don’t control our destinies and that we are ultimately dependent on the mercy of God and each other–before our hearts really begin to see those around us, and to cry for and reach out to them in their woundedness. Quite likely it is only then that we can get desperate enough to lift our eyes to God and present our empty hands, the only kind that can really receive His gifts.

And perhaps that is when the transformation can begin. When we can recognize that all those around us are wounded in some way and have compassion for each of them, especially for those who don’t even realize they are wounded. Perhaps that is when we can use our tears to water those fragile plants who are the lonely, the sick, the naked, and the hungry around us. Perhaps when our pride is wounded enough to admit that we too are needy, we can give up the judgment of the rest around us who are also needy.

And perhaps more, when we reach that point, maybe we will be spurred to action to do something about it. I saw a sign yesterday in front of one of our local churches that said: “Sympathy will bring you to tears over another’s burdens; compassion will bring you to action to help alleviate them.” I’ve found that coming to sympathy, while a good start and easy for me to do, isn’t enough. It’s better than “blindly” stepping over Lazarus, but as St. James noted: “If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day,
and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?”

Thank you Reen for your timely and important reminder. As Jesus said, it is those who believe themselves able to see who are truly blind and whose sin remains.

 

[sawman]

Dear all,
When I was young,I used to think God wanted me to do something big and dramatic for Him. I was haunted by this sense for the longest time and it led to missing out on the present good that God had for me by contrasting the present good with the expected good.
As the years rolled by I realized that God had given me a very large task, being a good husband and father. I know now that this has been probably all I could do with my limited abilities. I believe that I may have told Him that my plate was quite full. Now I am begining to see that I can take no credit for anything I’ve done. I have never really had what it takes to love like Him. Whatever good that my life has acomplished, and compared to many it is a very mediocre,modest amount, I give credit to God. It appears that The thing I’m best at is getting in His way.

This to me seems to be a poverty of some kind. I’m not sure anymore about a lot of things. this too is a poverty. As a parent I look at the ills and troubles of my grown kids and lament my omisions and comissions. This is a poverty that I think may grow as I get older.
So, I can understand sympathy for the unfortunate, God has broadened my horizon on that, but I find myself with fewer and fewer resourses as I get older and 'scared that I’ll not be able to do even the most smallest task He has set for me. This is a poverty.

O.K., so now I am pretty well tired of having “that honest look at myself” ; that probably isn’t so honest as I think, and or as accurate as I think either. I am very certain that my estimate of who was pulling the cart as opposed to riding in it has got to be adjusted big time.

 

[reen12]

quote: ncjohn

Quite likely it is only then that we can get desperate enough to lift our eyes to God and present our empty hands, the only kind that can really receive His gifts.

You know, John, the above is making me think about ‘emptiness.’
[Perhaps I’ll start a thread on that.]
The inverse [obverse?] of empty hands, is “clutching” - in our hands - the one thing that makes us ‘feel’ not empty. I’m not even thinking of that which creates this sense of emptiness,
to begin with. The causes are, no doubt, myriad.

The question that does occurs to me, is -
What is it - that we will not set down?

What causes us to “need” one thing - with which to fill our hands? - so that they may not feel as empty, as we may feel, inside.

A high income? High intelligence? Advanced level of education?
The house we live in? Designer clothes? Having the ‘true’ faith?

I suppose that I would ask myself - What is it, that makes me lord it over others?
What makes me feel “superior,” in some way?
What do I fill my “hands” with, so that they will not appear empty?

quote: ncjohn

Perhaps when our pride is wounded enough to admit that we too are needy, we can give up the judgment of the rest around us who are also needy.

For some reason, I think that those who continually judge others, harshly, are likely to be pretty hard on themselves, too. I oft think of the saying:
“When you point a finger at someone, three fingers are pointing back at you.”

When I encounter such judgmental behavior, I ask myself the question:
“What has been done to you, that you would treat another in this way?”
“How are you hurting?”

quote: ncjohn

As Jesus said, it is those who believe themselves able to see who are truly blind and whose sin remains.

You know what, John? While their “sin” may remain, it is those who were most hurt - by this judgemental, harsh behavior - who will beg God to forgive. And they, too, will be forgiven their own blind spots, because of the mercy which they themselves offered to others - in asking Him to forgive.

Acutely aware of the many, many times, when I have judged another, in my heart, I ask Him for mercy, too. I have enough “beams, in my own eye,” to build several log cabins. http://bestsmileys.com/sad/4.gif

reens

 

[reen12]

quote: sawman

O.K., so now I am pretty well tired of having “that honest look at myself” ; that probably isn’t so honest as I think,
and or as accurate as I think either. I am very certain that my estimate of who was pulling the cart as opposed to riding in it
has got to be adjusted big time.

Is that ever true! sawman. My thing is not about who is pulling the cart.
My thing is - becoming discouraged, by the reality of “mixed motives.”

One likes to think that - when they are doing something “good” -
that this is from the ‘noble part’ self. And sometimes it is -
proving that the Age of Miracles has not ended. http://bestsmileys.com/nono/9.gif

The searing question, I think, is: What is in my self-interest, here?
That’s enough to turn my hair grey. Part of being so ill, psychologically,
is that I’ve never matured enough, emotionally, to accept the fact that
human beings do act, sometimes, with mixed motives, and that God
understands that.
Maybe that’s why Jesus cautioned: “No one is good except God alone…”
He always acts, solely, from love.

reen

 

[reen12]

quote: sawman

O.K., so now I am pretty well tired of having “that honest look at myself” ; that probably isn’t so honest as I think, and or as accurate as I think either. I am very certain that my estimate of who was pulling the cart as opposed to riding in it has got to be adjusted big time.

Is that! ever true, sawman. My thing is not about who is pulling the cart.
My thing is - becoming discouraged, by the reality of “mixed motives.”

One likes to think that - when they are doing something “good” -
that this is from the ‘noble part’ of self. And sometimes it is -
proving that the Age of Miracles has not ended. http://bestsmileys.com/nono/9.gif

The searing question, I think, is: What is in my self-interest, here?
That’s enough to turn my hair grey. Part of being so ill, psychologically, is that I’ve never matured enough, emotionally, to accept the fact that human beings do act, sometimes, with mixed motives, and that God understands that.

Maybe that’s why Jesus cautioned: Call no one good, except God alone…

He always acts, solely, from love.

reen

 

[ncjohn]

Dear all,
I’m not sure anymore about a lot of things. this too is a poverty.

While I was nodding my head with so much of what you said, sawman, on this one point I have to take issue with you.

I personally have found that no long being sure about things was the very beginning of wisdom. For as long as I thought I had all the answers, I really didn’t “need” God.

While we all speak about how “big” God is, so much bigger than any of us can grasp, the fact is that most of us try very hard to put Him in a box that we can understand and control. And it is really only when we can let Him out and let Him be God that we can begin to appreciate how much bigger He really is. While I would deny the possibility on most days and insist that He live by my rules and my sense of "justice, His ways truly are WAY beyond our ways.

Please do not consider it a poverty to feel you are less sure about things, especially about God. To my mind that is one of the great riches, for then I can just rest in Him and let Him take care of things like He promises He will.

Peace to you,