Kathleen T. Choi: IN LITTLE WAYS
The danger with reading Scripture is coming across passages that hit home — hard. Recently, I read Luke 6:27-38 about loving your enemy and doing good to those who hurt you. The verses challenged me. Who are my enemies, and how do I treat them?
The first enemies I thought of were those telemarketers who claim to be calling from my bank or the IRS. They lie in order to get my credit card number and my personal information. I got so mad the other evening when the caller said, “I’m from Microsoft Tech Support” that I replied, “No you’re not, and you should be ashamed of yourself!”
How do I apply Jesus’ words to these people? Christ said, “From the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic.” Does that mean I should let crooks cheat me? I think the answer appears in verse 31: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Have I ever knowingly hurt someone else? Sadly, yes. What do I wish had happened instead? I wish someone had stopped me before the harm was done. I wish someone had caught me right afterward, so I could immediately repent and make amends. I definitely wish I hadn’t gotten away with it. I’ll carry that regret forever.
The best I can do regarding crooked callers is to quietly hang up and say a prayer for them. My scolding isn’t going to reform someone working at a call center in India. My struggle with the Gospel isn’t over, though. I have another set of enemies — the panhandlers who hang around downtown.
First off, they’re dirty, and they look unstable. They scare me, and fear begets anger. Secondly, I resent their lies. I think to myself, “You didn’t just lose your wallet, and you don’t need gas to get home. You’re here begging every day. Panhandling is what you do instead of holding a real job.”
But then the Holy Spirit convicts me. No one who is healthy and whole chooses to beg. True, he may buy alcohol or drugs instead of food. That just means he suffers from addiction, and Christians are called to relieve suffering when and where we can. On the other hand, even making eye contact with a disturbed person is risky, and handing him money may indirectly support drug trafficking. It might also encourage others to block the sidewalk and trouble passersby. So, what’s the right thing to do? I’m not sure.
I know, though, that my anger extends beyond one spooky guy with an “I need food” sign. I resent the homeless who have taken over Hilo’s bandstand and surrounding park. We had a murder recently at what was once a popular night fishing spot and two daylight assaults right in downtown. I won’t visit some areas after dark anymore, and I blame everyone who isn’t housed, employed, clean and sober for my fear. I’ve turned them all into enemies.
And that’s sinful. A Christian heart shouldn’t hold hate or anger. I need to pray about these feelings. I also need to educate myself about poverty and homelessness, so I begin to see the squatter, the beggar and the fake telemarketer as people just like me, who deserve my compassion.
I also need to think about that cloak and tunic Jesus mentioned. The beggar merely asks for food, but he needs much more. Helping him, as Jesus commands, will cost me time, taxes and charitable donations. My speech, my budget and my vote all need to reflect my concern for him and others like him. And what’s a Christian doing with enemies anyway?
Kathleen welcomes comments. Send them to Kathleen Choi, 1706 Waianuenue Ave., Hilo 96720, or email: kathchoi@hawaii.rr.com.
