The Pursuit of Happyness

Mindy and I watched this movie on Friday night after we got our kids to bed. The house had all sorts of work to be done - we haven't gotten our kitchen finished, nor have we finished arranging the upstairs after getting carpet. Actually, as I write, there are piles of books scattered all over. One pile to keep, one pile for yard sale this weekend (shameless plug to get you to come buy our junk), one pile for office, one pile to throw away. I should be finishing that project instead of typing. Oh, well.

The movie was sweet! I'd recommend it to anyone. I loved how the movie was shot in a way that made you feel the struggle of an average Joe trying to make a go of life. I loved how they portrayed the hopelessness of people on the streets. The movie made me evaluate my own life and maybe clears up the notion that all homeless people on the streets of our cities are drug addicts and alcoholics.

I have done inner city ministry the majority of my Christian life and have encountered numerous men, women and children who have just had a rough go. Our inner cities are not glamourous, nor are they attractive for ministry because they are right in the middle of where we like to shop and consume. Last summer I was in Chicago on our middle school mission trip, and I met a girl who was trying to get money to get back home to the west coast. Several students and I sat down with her and actually held her cup and attempted to assist her in acquiring money from the passers by. I sat there on the dirty sidewalk in the rain and watched hundreds of faces walk by without even giving us a glance. If they did glance, it was only for a second and then their eyes went back to where they were heading. The young girl was only about 23 and was on the streets! Somebody's daughter - on the streets in need of shelter, food and a way to get home.

Something I wonder about...I am a big fan (maybe fan isn't the best word) of any type of missions and caring for the poor. But I wonder, if "foreign" work is often elevated above local and urban work. All missions work is good, don't get me wrong. The message of hope is hope for all - not just here, but everywhere.

I heard a person who served on mission boards say that before they would check off on a person going elsewhere to do missions work, they would ask that person about their current relationships with non-christians where they live. Made sense that if a person had a heart for the lost, then they would be sharing the message with those that are nearby.

I sometimes wonder if we want to go over seas just so we can have something else to talk about with our Christian friends. I know that I sometimes feel pretty good about myself when I tell people that I've been to Mexico and Guatemala, and I often feel smaller when I hear about others who have gone to more places than me. Is it all about the other people and the Gospel, or is it somewhat about me?

I remember a dude that spoke at Xcursion a couple of years ago who drove by the same homeless guy several times each week, day, month or something. I was in the middle of swatting mosquitoes at this point, so I missed that detail. Anywho, he kept driving by this guy and finally decided to stop and help him. He not only stopped and gave him money, but he took him to his home, gave him a place to stay (his own house!), gave him food (his own) and helped this guy get back on his own two feet. He would speak of him as his friend and would call him by name. He wasn't just another "homeless guy" or a person from a different country.

My point, I'm not sure. All I know is the movie reminded me of how important it is to reach out to people no matter where they are - local and foreign. I feel the challenge to look for local opportunities and not just make a trip out of it. Maybe missions are just a part of where we currently are. We serve where we are planted. We love the people God's placed in front of us before, during and after we go looking for someone else in other countries.

Ernie