How many times have
you been walking on a city street and seen a homeless person holding a sign
with a scripture verse on it followed by “need money” or “need a job?” Have you scoffed at him for trying to play on
your religious nature? Have you sometimes questioned this person’s motivation
for money (i.e. drugs, booze, etc)?
When I was working
as a consultant in Houston, I worked downtown and if you left work after the
normal exodus, you would run into a number of homeless individuals who would be
making camp for the night near the many parking garages. It would become a
regular sight for me as I walked to my car. The first few times, I paid
attention to who they were – what they looked like, what they were wearing and
I made sure to read the signs they held. A lot of the signs included scripture
followed by a request for money and occasionally, a job. I was disturbed by
this because I remembered my Corporal Works of Mercy – help the poor, shelter
the homeless, etc. At first, I would drop change where I could (as a rule, I
rarely kept cash on hand). Then, one day, I mentioned this to one of my
clients. Every the properly raised southern gentleman, he was aghast that I was
walking to my car unescorted so late and that I was being “hustled” for money.
I told him I had not given much – just change here and there. He advised that
even though I meant well, not all people were really the “good people who truly
loved the Scripture.”
I was very young
and I had been naïve. Yes, I had seen Law
and Order but I never really thought anything bad would happen to me if I
just looked confident and occasionally gave away some change. Shortly
thereafter, it was arranged for all consultants to park in a much closer
garage. When I would drive out, I would still see the signs, but now I questioned
the genuineness of these people and if
they meant what they wrote or if they were just manipulating people like me.
Maybe you haven’t
really spent time in a downtown area and have only seen the signs in passing on
an access road so let’s try a different example.
How many times have
you heard someone you know (either as a friend or acquaintance) go all “Jesus-y”
and “holy roller” on you quoting scripture and talking like a preacher? During
those instances, do you find yourself rolling your eyes and checking out of the
conversation? Maybe even smiling politely while making a mental note to never
ever bring up the topic again?
I have known
several people like this and every time they went on their “Jesus kick,” I
would mentally check out. I’m not a fan of being preached to so of course,
whenever this occurred, I would immediately get defensive which equates to
snarky. I would take delight in poking holes in the “holy roller’s” armor just
because I did not like how it made me feel. Was it right? No. Did I feel bad
about it? Not really. I justified my snarkiness with the all-popular school
yard excuse of “Well, he/she started it!”
Yeah, not thinking
that would hold up in the ultimate principal’s office very well, but at the
time, I just shrugged my shoulders.
After Easter, I
prayed a lot (still do) and felt God was pushing me to speak for Him…to evangelize.
BUT, I sure didn’t like the experiences I
had gone through in the past and pretty sure there are others who don’t either
based on general message board comments related to anything religious. Evangelizing
like that just doesn’t work with our society today. Even the word “evangelize”
is now the religious equivalent to a 4-letter word to most people. It paints negative
images of everything from Jonestown and Heaven’s Gate to the Westboro Baptist
Church and FLDS compound.
We live in a
society of extremes. You are either extremely religious or you are agnostic or
atheist. You are either very good or very bad. It seems very black and white.
Where is the gray zone? Gray is definitely there, but the grays are the quiet
ones. They are the ones who should have a voice. The grays should be the ones
saying why they believe or why they have questions. Instead, they remain quiet
because the extremes tend to be louder and more emphatic and therefore garner
more media.
Well, as a gray, I
am opening my mouth and voicing my thoughts on how to find God in a world we
sometimes think has gone mad. It’s time for the grays to talk and be heard.
Until next time, many blessings!
