“Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ ‘I don’t know,’ he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” — Genesis 4:9
This verse holds a question that is, without a doubt, uncomfortable to think about. I’m sure I speak for the majority of people when I say that we’d all like to think that we’re fair and just in the way we respond to our fellow human beings... But we all know that’s a lie staring us all in the face.
There’s a multitude of instances where we discriminate against our fellow humans, but I’m going to focus on the most glaring: the homeless/poor. The homeless and those who are of lower class get the brunt of our unwavering un-care. If you go to downtown Atlanta, you’ll find the streets littered with homeless people, much to the normalcy of those who might live down there or those who are just visiting. Time and time again, you’ll find homeless men, women and children sitting on some corner, sticking out their cup or cardboard sign with a handwritten message that usually ends in “God Bless.”
If you were to sit and watch the numbers of people that can walk by someone less fortunate, without a blink, you might start to feel disturbed after a while, too. There’s such a stigma in this country that is attached to being homeless, poor, mentally ill or an addict of any type. We laugh, point, ridicule and mock these people and thank God we’re not one of them, because we’re so blessed to be in the HAVE’S while they’re in the NOT’S. That’s just the way the world works, right? Not. Even. Close.
Yes, we’re in a blessed position and we can thank God for the fact we’re not in that position, but remember it is only by the GRACE of God we’re not that homeless man or woman you see begging for money on the street and that same homeless person isn’t us in our nice homes and safe neighborhoods. We yell and scream that these people should go and get a job or refuse to help them because we assume that they’re probably all drug addicts anyway, right? They did this to themselves and they deserve their punishment of not being able to live in comfort. But have you ever thought about the fact that these people might try? That some of these people don’t ask to be in this position? That some of them simply stumbled in their journey and found themselves at a road block? Since when are we qualified to talk about people and what they do and do not deserve simply because of their past misfortunes and mistakes? You’re mistaken if you think like this, my friend.
If the “Just get a job!” exclamation is your go-to, I’ve come up with an equation especially for you: If a homeless drug addict tried to get clean to get a job, how would they be able to get that job if so many people are already judging them? How can they get to that job if they don’t have a car? If they don’t have a car to take them to the job, no clothes to make them look presentable for the job and prejudices already against them, do you really think they’re going to get that job? Yeah, they could, but you best believe it’s not going to be as easy as people make it sound. So, don’t even try to use that anymore if you haven’t been in the midst of their own personal series of unfortunate events.
In my own past experiences with homeless people/those less fortunate, I came to realize that the only thing separating me from them was a home and a few downfalls that just happened to bring them to rock bottom. That’s it. In fact, while volunteering to feed the homeless, some of those people were the most grateful and the most wise and most importantly the most faithful to God. Even in their current situation, they were still able to thank the God that loves them no matter what, because they’re just following the plan that He has for them, even if they lag behind a little in it. So, who are we to judge them, laugh at them and pass them by like they're the scum of the Earth? Tomorrow we could be right there with them. I’m not saying that you have to go out and save the world. I’m not saying to house one of these people in your home. I’m not even asking you to throw money at them. I’m just asking that you show compassion and awareness. It wouldn’t hurt to spare half of that money you were going to use for pizza and give it to someone else. Heck, it wouldn’t even hurt to give someone the pizza itself. If you hear about someone with a mental illness, try and understand that you shouldn’t just care about them whenever there’s an act of violence that threatens the public. Don’t use this as a chance to brag about what you did to your friends on Facebook. No. Use it as a chance to humble yourself down to your fellow human who just needs a little help. When you really think about it, we’re all in this together. We’re all loved by the same Man upstairs and we were all saved by Him too. What separates us isn’t what one has and what one doesn’t —- it’s if we act like that divider actually exists.
It is only by the Grace of God that we’re not those people. It is also by the Grace of God that we’re in the position we’re in to be able to help out those who need it the most, even if we don’t think we have the resources to do so. Don’t abuse that Grace and don’t belittle it. The question is simple, yet poignant. Short but powerful. Completely casual, yet absolutely provocative.
Are you your brothers keeper?
