Nickels, Dimes and Jesus

I lead a book club titled the Learners. Our second book is titled Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in American by Barbara Ehrenreich. Ms. Ehrenreich is a highly educated middle class journalist. She decides to go undercover to investigate exactly how the working class poor make it on minimum wage. It sounds much like an extra long episode of Undercover Boss. I am thrilled at the opportunity to learn.

 

This author talks in detail about the plans and hardships on finding economical and suitable housing and then without pause begins the uphill battle of seeking employment near this prized “economical” housing she has discovered. I must say I am touched by her desire to dive right in regardless of the mud and mess she encounters. All in an effort of dispelling the myths, misconceptions and stereo types of the working class poor.

She has me and I am intently hanging on to her every word. Pause. Rewind. Stop. I do not know what happened everything was going so well. Somehow, I have just been sucker punched and my desire to learn more about nickels and dimes is no longer present. The rug has just been pulled out from underneath me and for no reason at all. I do not understand why this paragraph, which does not really fit into this storyline, is here.  Somewhere in this book about poverty, she speaks of one day after work looking for something to do that would not cost money. She happens to notice a church service, taking place across the way so she decides to attend. After this excerpt in the book, all I hear is anger, criticism and judgement. She begins judging another type of human. Which I am baffled by. You cannot or rather you should not honor one human and in the same breath dishonor another merely by how he or she believes.

My heart hurts as she slyly begins to take a dig at Christianity. I continue reading even though I am jabbed from time to time. I think the perception here may be if you have met one Christian, you have met them all. The misconception is if one Christian behaves badly they all behave badly. These misconceptions of Christians are similar to those of people living in poverty. This is as absurd as saying because you have known one person in poverty taking advantage of the system they are all taking advantage of the system. Just not, so on both accounts.

If you know me you probably know I love Jesus. I am a Christian and the very thing that enables me to love my neighbor is the God I serve. I work hard to dispel myths, misconceptions and stereo types about people living in poverty.  Actually, I consider it my life’s work (Isaiah 61) and I do this because I am a Christian. These hostile characterizations and judgmental bigotries people have placed on me because I am a Christian are just not so. Yes, some people misrepresent Christianity but not all people do.

Yes, some Christians sit on the sidelines while some of us are working hard out on the field, others are coaching and calling plays and yet others sit injured in the locker room (sometimes injury caused by their fellow Christians). Some have just been recruited while others are beginning their first day of basic training. What is often excluded is the truth about how so many of these Christians are out there making touchdown after touchdown. Yet more often than not, we are all judged as if we were all that one foul mouthed player waiting to be sentenced for all his unspeakable crimes. The Jesus I serve is perfect not the people that serve him. I do not say this to give a pass to unsavory behavior displayed at times by us Christians in “training”. I say this because no one is perfect Christian or not.

My takeaway from this book has nothing to do with poverty but rather it has affirmed that we as people will judge those we do not understand. I am a Christian and in love I say to those who judge me for being a Christian, your judgments, stereotypes and misconceptions are just not so of me. If you would take the time to get to know me, you would learn that I am not a person that hates this party or that party even though some that call themselves Christians do. If you would take the time to get to know me, you would learn that I am not for children being separated from their mothers even though some of the people in the political party I am affiliated with may be. If you would take the time to get to know me, you would learn that I do not hate nor judge people that believe different than I do even though some that call themselves Christians do. If you would take the time to get to know me, you would learn that I do not hate because the color of your skin maybe different from mine even though some that call themselves Christians do.

I no longer want to learn about nickels or dimes.

 

I want to teach,

how to love,

with Love,

all people.