joe, etc.

Today I talked with Joe Smith. Well not really, but I'll call him that for the sake of privacy.
I didn't want to talk to Joe, because it was inconvenient. It was uncomfortable. I was busy.
To be honest, I was busy being relaxed, being comfortable, and being on vacation.

I won't go into the details of our conversation; however, I will say that I had nothing to fear.
After dialing his number and leaving a short message, I hung up. Mission accomplished. I had
done my part, as far as I was concerned, and could now check Joe off the list.

But as I think over this and many similar situations in which I have found myself over the last
year or so, I find a problem. That problem is my sin coming into contact with the lives of others.
It happens.
I make myself something, and call them "other". I compartmentalize, and it is easier. It seems good
to me that I do generally good things for general people. The name is crossed off, and simultaneously,
I am patting myself on the back. I am safe, and they are cared for. Mission accomplished. the world can
now go on.

but here is the problem: the poor are not items or tasks. They are not vessels made to carry my pride
and good name. They are not trophies or even stories to be told among the right people. They are people,
made in God's image, created to bring Him glory. When I lose sight of that, I am worthless at my job.
It makes me sick to think of some of the things I have said, as my heart has become hardened.
Is the truth in me? I can't see it sometimes. I am looking today, and I see only a selfishness that has
nothing to do with the God I claim to love. How do I continue to seek Him, every day, with my whole self?
How do I keep my heart from hardening?

Really, I think I should probably be asking Joe. No, I don't think that "the poor" are somehow better, or
above sin. But when Joe called back, he didn't say a word about how long it had taken for me to call him back.
He just asked if we could still meet. It seems simple enough to me. Just meet Joe, as I am at 11 am.