In Sight But Out of Mind: Learn to See The Need Around You

See The Need Around You

The young man in the picture is 20-year-old Dom who was shot and killed on July 11, 2019.

I can’t stop wondering about the moments after he opened the door that morning. Did he see the shooter? Did he know him? Was anything said before the shots were fired that ended his life? Was he scared? Did he know he was dying? Was he alone?

I can’t wrap my mind around the loss of someone I love to senseless violence. I struggle to imagine the world without this beautiful soul in it, and I wonder what impact he could have made if given the opportunity. Yet, the comments on social media about his shooting remove all value from his life because of where he lived and how he died. To these strangers trolling the news story, a young black man in a bad neighborhood must be a drug dealer or gang member who deserved what he got. In their minds, his life had no value and they feel no sympathy for his death.

I wonder if they would have changed their minds if they had met him? Or would they simply have crossed the street if they’d seen him walking toward them, never willing to get to know someone different from them?

Do You Really See the People in Need Around You?

For many Christians and churches, the answer is a sad one.

About ten years ago, two young men from our neighborhood started coming to church with us. One was a friend of our oldest daughter and initially his motive for coming to church might have been the opportunity to spend more time with her. Still, they came dressed in their best clothes. Not suits and ties like many of the adults but clean jeans and white three-button shirts. The boys slouched in their seats to avoid the stares from too many of the adults, but they paid attention.

When someone told the senior pastor there was an issue with drugs in the youth group, Jay was called in to talk to him. The assumption was that these two boys, so different from the youth that had literally grown up in that church, had to be the ones involved. Jay can be very expressive. I often wonder what his face looked like while he listened to the accusation and then told the pastor that it was two teens whose parents were prominent leaders in the church that were actually involved with drugs.

Without once having a conversation with these boys, anyone hearing of the issue pointed the finger at them. It didn’t take long before they stopped coming to church.

Too Many Churches Aren’t Welcoming “Outsiders”

Sadly, this story was repeated in various ways over our years in ministry. The “outsiders” were made to feel just that way, despite being in a church that claimed to be the “friendliest church” in our town.

It wasn’t just that church either. Another we served at claimed to be doing great things for the community, but they kept their distance when serving food to the homeless and never bothered to really talk to the families that came for Christmas gifts, school supplies, or food. It was a chore they completed often enough to pat themselves on the back for their good work to those less fortunate. They seemed to feel no need to actually see and know the people they gave their time and resources to.

Is This How Jesus Ministered?

I don’t think these types of ministries line up with how Christ ministered on this earth. He didn’t distance Himself from those the religious considered social outcasts. Jesus sat and talked to them. He ate with them. He looked at them and really saw them.

In John 4, Jesus makes it a point to meet up with a woman in Samaria that most would not have paid attention to. In verse 4, it says, “But He needed to go through Samaria.” (NKJV) Jesus accepted this woman where she was and didn’t pass judgment. He took the time to love and minister to her, and verses 28 – 30 show us the ripple effect. How different would our ministries look if we took the time to love people different from us, especially those struggling with poverty?

In his book I See You, Terence Lester defines poverty as “a lack of access…to good education, clean water, job opportunities, resources…and other basic needs, including money, but not limited to that.” The people that need the most support are often either overlooked or looked down on, even by churches.

Will You See The Need Around You?

Have you ever sat down and actually talked to a homeless person? Do you get nervous or afraid when approached by someone with a different social status than you?

I’ve talked to too many Christians that shake their heads at decisions Jay and I have made when serving people less fortunate than us. We’ve been told others would be too afraid to welcome a family that just lost everything in a fire into their home, but I wonder if their response would be different if the family looked like them and came from a similar background. I’ve had people actually step back away from me in shock when I tell them about ministering to a room of over twenty teen felons in a detention center or when I share about a conversation I had with a gang member.  

I’m not trying to glorify ourselves and our ministry by sharing these stories. We react to the people God brings into our lives in the same way we would want people to respond to us if we were in similar positions. Growing up, we needed people to take a healthy interest in us and give us guidance, and as struggling adults, we’ve been blessed to have many people invest in us. Unfortunately, some Christians don’t trust people that don’t fit within their comfort zone. They rank sin and judge accordingly. They look for people like themselves to minister to and avoid people who are poorer and more sinful in their eyes. Sometimes, they use their idea of religion as a weapon against those less fortunate, as if social standing determines who can be a beloved child of God.

How Can We Learn to Serve Those In Need?

If you serve in ministry, whether as a volunteer or as paid staff, I encourage you to pick up a copy of I See You which was released today. Even if you don’t believe homeless ministry is for you, the book will help open your eyes to the people in your community that you may not be seeing enough to serve and will show you how to minister to them where they are, not just how you choose.

You can also learn more about Terence Lester here.