Such a Life

We were in Los Angeles, sitting in a circle as usual, debriefing about Capstone so far. We had gone to Skid Row that day and we were talking about the sights that we had seen. People laying everywhere, no food, no shelter, pain in their eyes. Surrounded by 45,000 other homeless people, but so lonely and afraid. Skid Row is a hard place to walk around. It is hard to walk over limp bodies and to hear the sorrowful calls of the people that you are walking by. It is hard to look them in the eyes and say hello, knowing that is all that you can offer them. Sitting in that circle on that night, I was asked what I felt since I knew what I was getting into. I explained how it was hard to look at Skid Row, but when I looked at it, I did not see hopelessness. I did not see something that was broken, but instead, I saw something beautiful. I saw people of God, children of God, image bearers. I saw hope. It is only with darkness that light can be brought in. It is only in hopelessness that hope can be delivered. It is painful to look at and it is saddens our hearts, but it is in this that I see God the most. I see his hand, I see his light, and I see his people delivered. It is the same here in Muncie.

I grew up coming to Muncie. The south side of Muncie is not the place for people to visit. It is not the most welcoming place. It is not a place where people just go to hang out. It is run down, dirty, and a hopeless mess. There is nothing there. The people there aren't my kind of people. It is just not a good place to go. I never went to the south side, now I live there. I live among the “hopelessness.” I live among the pain, sorrow, and the fear. To be honest, it is not that scary to live here, it is not really the most frightening place in the world. I can go outside after dark. I can go places around the neighborhood and feel safe. I feel safe where I live, but I do see pain. I do see sorrow and I feel the burdens of those in the neighborhood.

I see God's hand over this place. I see his hope raining down on this place. I see him picking up broken hearts and mending them. I feel God's presence in this place. It is a beautiful thing to see. It is a beautiful thing to see the people who I come in contact with everyday and see the image of God in them. It is a beautiful thing to see those who should be giving up by the world's view and having the most faith that I have ever seen. It is a beautiful thing to see these people lifting me up and encouraging me when they are so much deeper in than me. God has shown me what it means to hope by living here. He has shown me what it means to love. He has shown me what it means to care for those around me and to see beauty in the ghetto.