Monday, January 07, 2013

Judgemental

That's what a lot of people are being these days.  I have seen many people malign another group of people because, as if it should be a surprise, they are different.  I have especially seen this in Christians who also happen to be conservative.  It's like they forget what the Bible says when it conflicts with their political agenda.  I mean Jesus was adamant about the widows, orphans, and the poor, but that seems to be lost on them. I mean they would rather line up at the local chicken fast food restaurant to make a statement, than deciding to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and guide the lost... those are thing Christ actually said to do.

I don't want to sound cynical, but I have just seen so much, and I always think: I bet they would think differently if they lived in poverty even for just a week.  I think if they had been raised with the background of those they malign, they might see how the person thinks, acts, feels.  They might see that they make poor choices, because they have no role model who's ever taught them to make good choices.  We are in two consecutive generations without fathers, and I will be honest, we are seeing the effects that come with a nation that mother's it's children, but they doesn't father them.

The poor have made bad decisions, yes,  this is so true.  You have made bad decisions, but you had more resources, which limits the effects.

I recently met a lady at a food giveaway and I asked her some questions about herself.  The book opened and she told me how she had a job, no husband, two kids and her car broke down.  When she took it to the shop they told her it would be $7000 to fix it, which she realizes now was them taking advantage of her.  She was desparate, because her boss was not an understanding man; she could not miss work.  She went to buy a car, and she found a used one that was not super nice, but was a car.  She financed it at the dealership, with a 21% APR.... she could not qualify anywhere else.  Needless to say, the car was repoed and she lost her job.  Remember she's got two kids to think about... She shifted into survival mode.

People purposely set out to take advantage of the poor, with interest rates they have no idea are bad.  They have no one to turn to to see if that's a good thing, and yet we would see this lady using her food stamp card and might think in our minds of how she's "just abusing the system."  All of this is happening in her life, and yet we feel like being judgmental is the way to be.

Grace people.  People of grace, and love.