Blessed are the poor...

Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

Luke 6:20

Living in India affords many opportunities to serve and minister to the poor, needy, and outcast. Upon arriving in the country, one is nearly overwhelmed by the tremendous needs of such a populous country. It can be really intimidating because you can't even figure out where to begin...

That is part of what makes Mother Teresa's work so remarkable. She devoted her life to serving the poor and was able to make tremendous contributions to the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs of so many people.  She is quoted as saying, “By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.” So what was her motivation to give up a comfortable life? Well, Mother Teresa was driven to serve the poor, outcast, sick, and dying because she was a committed disciple of Jesus. She followed in Her Lord's footsteps for Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) The calling of Mother Teresa was to live for Christ (Philippians 1:21) by being his faithful disciple, which is what all followers of Christ are to be.

For those believers who read my blog, but are not involved or engaged in serving the needs of others (in particular the poor, sick, elderly, etc.) you need to take this calling seriously. Please don’t think that I’m speaking from a position of judgment or condemnation because I'm nowhere close to being the next Mother Teresa (let alone Christ), nor am I any more gifted at serving than anyone else. I am not. I have lived in India for over two years and have not been nearly as involved in mercy ministry as I should be. Is it because my heart has become calloused or ignorant or uncaring? I hope not, but it certainly can become easy to make excuses when you're confronted every day with waves and waves of people who have more needs than you could ever imagine. Making excuses is not the mark of a disciple...

If we are truly Christ’s disciples, we cannot and should not look the other way when we see suffering or ignore the cries of the innocent. If God “loves righteousness and justice,” (Psalm 33:5) should not the disciples of Christ also? Absolutely, God commands it: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
 And what does the Lord require of you?
 To act justly and to love mercy
 and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

Today, I had the privilege of going to a poor area on the outskirts of my city to see and be a part of how God is working. After navigating our way through the city traffic, we were met by two brothers whom God has used to build a small sewing ministry for women. We followed these guys on their bike (aka motorcycle), as they turned off the main road onto a nearly hidden and unprepared road. A nearby sign marked the land as government property, consisting mostly of green fields with shrubbery and trees intermingled with boulder outcroppings. After driving about 2-3kms, we turned onto a rocky, dirt (hiking?) trail. I hesitated at first because my little compact car is hardly ideal for off-roading, but we were able to manage it for a small stretch. We parked in a green fern plant (something like what's called a creeper) and then continued up the dirt pathway on foot.

On either side of the pathway were stone/brick homes without any running water or electricity. Ladies were out washing pots and pans, children running around, and various animals (mostly goats) eating or sunning themselves on the rocks. Of course, all eyes were on us as we passed by because there probably aren't too many goras randomly wandering through this stretch of God's creation. After a short walk up the small, rocky hill, we reached the hut where the sewing ladies were gathered. We took off our shoes/sandals and stooped to enter the tiny room. At head/face level, a ceiling fan was whirring dangerously (fortunately we had been forewarned!).

Inside the hut, three chairs were set up for us on the left side of the room opposite the ladies and children. They all smiled as we walked into the room, offering us a warm welcome. We took our seats and were then told a little bit about this ministry that offers 6-month sewing training to 10 ladies at a time because only 3 sewing machines are available. These women come to the city from nearby villages to earn money for their families, so after completing the sewing training they go on to get jobs elsewhere.

We were showed (lecture?) notes written in Telugu, though some of them are actually  of the Banjara tribe. Nearly all were Hindu. Each of them proudly showed us little samples of their sewing. Apparently they start small (slightly larger than Ken or Barbie size!) and then progress to “big people” clothing. Sitting across from them, I was struck by how fortunate I am… By blood and citizenship, an American. By faith, a Christian. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus. Only by God’s grace am I any of those things!!

What a privilege and honor it was to share a small part of my day with a kind, humble, and gracious group of people. I know that my Jesus would have poured out His love so abundantly upon them, if He were there… and that’s exactly what He does through us! As He says in 

Matthew 25:35-40, "'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

And conversely in 25:45, “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’”