Be honest. Have you ever been walking down a sidewalk in an inner city, seen someone of an opposite race walking towards you, and crossed to the other side of the street to avoid coming close to that person? Most people, if honest, would tell me, "Yes, but not because of their race, but it was the way they were dressed, or they just looked scary!" Sorry y'all, but racism is racism. Most of us have been guilty of this at some point in our lives, but regardless, it still must be dealt with by asking God's forgiveness! And repenting!
Look at the image at the beginning of this blog post. What do you see? What if I were to tell you that these individuals actually formed and work at Second Chance Christian Ministries in Los Angeles, CA? We judge books by their covers, don't we!
Prejudice comes in many forms. You can be prejudiced against someone for their skin color. For their nationality. For their religious background. For their sexual orientation. For the types of clothes they wear. For their age. WHAT? I am nice to old people! Okay, yes you are, but how about towards teenagers? Today, it's almost politically correct for people to think of teenagers as second class citizens. Afterall, they aren't old enough to drink alcohol, they can't vote, and their brains, they're just not developed completely yet!
Scripture looks at teenagers in a different way: "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." (1 Timothy 4:12-13)
"Their minds just aren't completely developed yet." Wow. But yes, I hear that. I am in my 40's, and I'm here to tell you that my mind is not completely developed yet. This side of Heaven, my mind will NEVER be completely developed. Granted, teenagers have had much less time to gain experience, but should we look down on them for that? I say no. I say that those with more experience should WANT to take a teenager under their wing, and help mature their mind! Help them get experience!
I worked with youth in a church setting from the late 80' until the mid 90's. Definitely an eye opener! What a diverse group of young people! We had kids that could recite almost any scripture on demand. We had kids that had never seen a Bible in their lives! I noticed that the body of the church would gravitate towards that first group of young people. They were more comfortable being around them. But for those of us who are having a few gray hairs already SHOULD be more inclined to want to be around that second group of teenagers. Talk with them. Invite them out for a meal. Find out if they play sports, and if so, go watch one of their games! Invite them to a sporting event!
Right now, I no longer work with youth on an organized level. I feel as though God called me to that for a season, and that season has passed. However, even though I no longer feel that call (and some of us may never have that call), I will still stop and listen to a teenager.
When I first met Jeremy, it was at the Fulton County Courthouse in downtown Columbus, Ohio. I was sitting in a waiting room, when Jeremy started talking with me. He was dressed in extremely baggy clothing, looked like he hadn't showered in a month, and smelled about the same! Please don't talk with me, I first thought under my breath! But he did. And I listened. To this day, I still do not remember the very first part of that conversation. We talked for about ten minutes, then I went on to do my business I was there for. When I was ready to leave, I got on to the elevator to head to the ground floor, and lo and behold, Jeremy was on the same elevator. He followed me outside, and we talked sports. I admit, I am openly prejudiced against one group of people on this earth! Pittsburgh Steelers fans!! I believe it should be illegal for them to marry outside their species! But during our sports conversation, Jeremy opened up to me that he was a Steelers fan. I began to walk away from him. Very quickly walk away! But he followed me the two blocks back to the parking garage. What does he want? I have no money! Is he going to try to mug me? No, he just wanted to talk, and wanted someone to listen. So, we got back to the parking garage, I let the tailgate down on my pickup truck, and we sat there for three hours. Jeremy opened up and shared with my his life's story. He didn't want my money. He just wanted someone to listen. And that I did.
Jeremy was 18 years old. He lived in a tent under a bridge near the courthouse. His older brother, and his grandfather were both in prison. He was leading a lifestyle in which he was headed there himself one day. Most likely sooner than later. The more he opened up, the more I realized just how much God has blessed me in my life. I began to think back and realize that although I had been close to being homeless myself a number of times, God had always found a way to keep me warm and a roof over my head. After conversing for several hours, I gave Jeremy my cell phone number, with a promise I would come back and take him out to eat at a McDonalds or something sometime soon.
I did. More often than not, we would meet at the Columbus Library Main Branch on Grant Avenue (not the best part of town.) We would meet about once a week and we'd go eat. Then, September of last year, something amazing happened. I had planned on spending the third weekend of September in Cleveland, OH, as an annual ritual for a birthday weekend getaway, and would meet up with two of my friends and it was all about the Cleveland Browns. This time, I was experiencing car issues, and funds were tighter than previous years, and gas prices were skyrocketing. So, I decided to take Greyhound. I was sitting in the Greyhound Station downtown. I was there a couple hours early because I had never done that before. Didn't know what to expect. Lo and behold, Jeremy shows up and finds me. Not to go with me (he hates the Browns, remember!) He showed up, because he wanted to spend a little time with me before I left, and to give me a birthday card. He wanted nothing in return, other than a simple promise that I would return soon, and it wouldn't be a one way trip!
A couple of weeks later, Jeremy was pinned to the ground by some gang members who were trying to kill him, all because of an argument earlier that day about loud music. It was that night that I told Jeremy to get in my truck and come back to the suburbs with me. I laid out some ground rules that he had to be 100% drug and alcohol free. And that he had to get a job, and pitch in around the house with chores, etc. This was an 18 year old kid, there was no way he would agree to this. But he did agree, and he has lived up to his end of the bargain.
It hasn't been easy at all. The best things in life aren't easy. But I've done my best to obey God. Ironically, it was because of Jeremy that after about a decade long absence, I have been drawn back into the body of Christ by attending a local church. My relationship with God is now better than it's ever been before. Being around Jeremy for an extended period has caused me to pray without ceasing. And the more one prays, the more God turns on certain lights and directs one in the path they should follow. I first took Jeremy with me to Cypress because I wanted to be a "good example." He was blessed. God is definitely working in his life right now! He is not perfect, but neither am I. None of us are. But we are at the point to when he does something wrong, he is honest with me about it. We talk about it, pray over it, and deal with it..
I have shared this story with several people already, and each time, the responses have been the same. "Mark, you are a saint." Let me make something perfectly clear: I am NOT a saint. I am a struggling guy who is just trying my best to do the right thing. My income is about ten percent of what it was just five years ago. I have issues I am trying to work on in my life. I want to be right with God. I have a part time job in a place where I have developed a reputation of being "the grouchy old man." I am doing my very best to change that to where people no longer see me, but see Christ in me! It's not the easiest thing. But I am trying. Jeremy is not perfect either, but the reason I have not given up on him is because I see him making an honest effort. God does not expect perfection from any of us. He just wants to see us trying.
In all honesty, I am guilty of being prejudiced! Prior to knowing Jeremy, I walked to the other side of the street when I saw homeless people. But now, any time I go downtown, I look at the homeless population differently. I am not financially able to help them all out. But I no longer run away from them either. It's true that not all of the homeless truly want help. They might tell you they are hungry and ask for money, so you offer to treat them to a meal and they laugh and walk away, when in reality they just wanted the money for drugs. But that is a small percentage. Most of them are good people.
Offer to help serve a meal at a homeless shelter or mission in your neighborhood. Some of you already have. To others, I encourage you to do so. But go in with blind eyes and an open heart. Do more listening than talking! I assure you, God WILL speak to you, and will bless you as a result!
"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds." ... James 2:14-18
"Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses." ... Proverbs 28:27
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