This is a huge question in mission work. Do we meet immediate needs? If we do that, do we derail addressing the bigger problems in a person's life? Is it just a band-aid? Are we addressing systemic needs that result in shoeless people? When is charity actually a gift? I think it's hard to know. In Haiti, people would beg outside the walls of the anglo-owned Christian compound. They'd ask for shirts, for water bottles, for phones, for shoes. One youth actually did give away his shoes. I decided that the discomfort I bore in witnessing them beg should motivate me to invest money in community-based efforts to create a sustainable life for local Haitians. The same may be true here. How do we heal the problem of shoeless people in the city? That said, sometimes I can't help but give away my shoes. Sometimes I offer that band-aid. And also, sometimes I take care of myself. It took me a while to learn that I don't have to give everything away. Maybe it should be messy. And distressing. When we give our shoes away, it's a way of trying to ease our own pain. What does God want me to do with that pain?
Thanks so much for sharing these really helpful thoughts and questions. And I mean, as followers of Jesus we're always part of the movement, right? So whether or not we call ourselves "missionaries" in a traditional sense, all of us are to be about the "on earth as it is in Heaven" stuff, right? I cut a section where I did talk about some of that "when helping hurts" kind of stuff - but that's definitely worth thinking about in the scheme of things too. I am with you in the - sometimes I give away my shoes, and sometimes I take care of myself - school of thought. It definitely is messy and requires attunement and discernment.
I love your final question - "What does God want me to do with that pain?" and will be thinking about it for a while. I may even write a bit on it, just sharing some of the various things I have done with it in the past, and how that's gone.
This is a huge question in mission work. Do we meet immediate needs? If we do that, do we derail addressing the bigger problems in a person's life? Is it just a band-aid? Are we addressing systemic needs that result in shoeless people? When is charity actually a gift? I think it's hard to know. In Haiti, people would beg outside the walls of the anglo-owned Christian compound. They'd ask for shirts, for water bottles, for phones, for shoes. One youth actually did give away his shoes. I decided that the discomfort I bore in witnessing them beg should motivate me to invest money in community-based efforts to create a sustainable life for local Haitians. The same may be true here. How do we heal the problem of shoeless people in the city? That said, sometimes I can't help but give away my shoes. Sometimes I offer that band-aid. And also, sometimes I take care of myself. It took me a while to learn that I don't have to give everything away. Maybe it should be messy. And distressing. When we give our shoes away, it's a way of trying to ease our own pain. What does God want me to do with that pain?
Thanks so much for sharing these really helpful thoughts and questions. And I mean, as followers of Jesus we're always part of the movement, right? So whether or not we call ourselves "missionaries" in a traditional sense, all of us are to be about the "on earth as it is in Heaven" stuff, right? I cut a section where I did talk about some of that "when helping hurts" kind of stuff - but that's definitely worth thinking about in the scheme of things too. I am with you in the - sometimes I give away my shoes, and sometimes I take care of myself - school of thought. It definitely is messy and requires attunement and discernment.
I love your final question - "What does God want me to do with that pain?" and will be thinking about it for a while. I may even write a bit on it, just sharing some of the various things I have done with it in the past, and how that's gone.
So. Good. Thank you.
I’m so glad you put this somewhere I can share with others. I love this piece, the story and your wisdom and wit! Keep writing. ❤️