Freedom in Hard Times

       It is very hard to live under judgment.  Just ask a little child who has done something wrong and then been caught.  It's bad enough to face the consequences right away but it can be even worse to wait.  Kids are good at doing that to each other,  "Just wait.  When Mom and Dad get home, I'm gonna tell on you!  Then you'll really be in trouble!"  And the waiting turns to worry, trying to figure a way out, hoping for a reprieve, and growing more anxious.   Being poor in this country puts you in the position of living in this unsettled state of worry often mixed with shame.
       While going through seminary, my husband and I hit the point where we had reached the end of our resources.  We finally ended up applying for and receiving food stamps.  It wasn't a step we felt good about but we needed the help.  I'll never forget what happened one night while shopping with the kids.
       It felt so good to be able to walk down the aisles and buy not only stuff that we needed but even to buy the kids something that they wanted.  So yes, I got some of the cereal they really wanted, some pizza, perhaps some ice cream.  Then we got up to the checkout counter and I unloaded the cart.  As the clerk was ringing up the order, I took out my food stamps to get ready to pay.  Suddenly she yelled out, "Hey, Debbie!  It's food stamps! Now what?"
       Everything came to a standstill and everyone stared at us as the second cashier came over to help deal with the "problem" of ringing through with food stamps.  People grew impatient and began grumbling out loud.  If we hadn't needed it, I would have grabbed the kids and left the food behind.  Instead, I stood in tears and waited while everyone watched.
       To be poor puts you in the position of not only living with other people's impatience and judgment but also with the feeling of living on the edge of things you cannot control.  Almost every area of your life becomes defined by money or the lack of it; whether there is money to pay for gas to get to work, to go see a doctor, for laundry soap, or which bill to pay.  Simple acts like picking up the mail or answering the phone become fear-filled because they may well contain another problem that you cannot solve and be even more proof of your failure.  It can be so overwhelming that it becomes almost impossible to see a solution to even the smallest problem.
       There are more and more people these days living on those edges, more people who need not only food and shelter but also our compassion and grace.  I read recently that the first act of love is to listen.  We need to listen to those around us and respond with care, concern, and help because I am convinced that there are more people than we realize who are in financial distress.  They are the underemployed as well as the unemployed, seniors whose retirement has been cut as well as young people in starter jobs.  They need reassurance of their worth as God's own, our acceptance, and our help but not our pity.  They are our neighbors, our family, and ourselves.
       The message that God gives us is one of love and hope.  In the book of Isaiah, God speaks to people whose homes, farms, and country had been taken away and offers help.  But first, God reminds them and us that the service God requires is to loose the bonds of injustice, to let the oppressed go free, and to feed the hungry.  (verses 6-7)  The first step to our own freedom and justice is to help and free those around us; to put aside our judgment and accept others and to give from our bounty or from the little that we have.  Listen to your neighbor.  Give to the local food pantry.  Share from your garden (and not just the zucchini!).   Read Isaiah 58:6-11.