The three of us piled into Larry's truck in search of a freezer, which we found at Home Depot. We loaded it up and headed back in the woods to a terribly run down shack surrounded by worn out vehicles and assorted piles of junk.
An old toothless man appeared from somewhere out of the rubble. He seemed a little hesitant seeing the three of us but he knew my brothers and Gary has kind of adopted him, trying to help him out by taking him to town and seeing to his needs. He was very happy to see the freezer and very apologetic for the mess, explaining that he hasn't been well and saying "my brain isn't all there."
He seemed so hopeless and helpless although not entirely penniless as he kept offering each of us money, which I assumed came from his social security check. But we weren't there to make money and refused his offers, although he did insist that Larry at least take some gas money. I think the old man just wanted to have some investment in the gift.
I keep thinking about that old man, his shanty of a dwelling and what brought him to such a place in life. Surely this was not his dream as he was growing up, not the goal he had in his working years, not his choice for a retirement home. And yet, there he is, living a third-world lifestyle in the Land of Opportunity. How did he get there?
The short answer: choices. I don't know his past but I do know that he has been on journey, having chosen a particular pathway. We don't just end up somewhere, we travel there, each step a choice along the way. Jesus is very clear in saying: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Mt 7:13-14).
Jesus is not saying and I'm no suggesting that people choose death and destruction necessarily but that by not choosing the path leading to life, we, by default, choose the path of destruction. I don't think the old man had been making choices to get him to his destination in a purposed way, but that he had not been making better choices along the way that would have brought him to a much different place in life.
Given his mental state currently, I'm not sure he's capable now of making different choices. He may be too far down that road to even conceive of a different path. He is truly now an unfortunate, someone in need of help. Unless there is someone, like my brother, to look after him, he will likely die out there of exposure.
But wouldn't it have been wonderful if he had made some different choices along the way? He might still have family in his life, friends who really cared about him, a church to help in his spiritual struggles, a Savior to lift him up...
I don't know about all his choices and I don't know what if anything can be done at this point. But I do know that you and I have choices every day to be more like Christ or more self-determined. We can sow seeds of grace, love, generosity, health, etc. (see Gal 6:7 "reap what we sow"). Where we wind up in the future depends on the choices we make today. What are your choices? Jus' Ask'n.
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