According to Bryant Myers, relationships are the key to transformation in the Kingdom—for the poor and the nonpoor. In order to illustrate this idea, I’ll share a little bit of my own transformation.
I grew up in the suburbs but I was always aware that I did not fit the middle class mold that most of my friends fell into. My family struggled to make ends meet—there were times we went without telephone service, relied on public transportation, and even faced eviction. These experiences gave me a small glimpse of what poverty is like…in my narrow experience, I found poverty to be profoundly relational; the financial situation of my family created a real sense of isolation and disconnect (physically and emotionally) from our neighbors and classmates. My parents spent so much time and energy just trying to keep our family afloat that they were unable to build friendships with other people in the community—and for my part, I did everything possible to avoid acknowledging to my peers that anything was amiss.
When I responded to the gospel and joined my first Christian community in 1995, remarkable things happened. Suddenly I found myself embraced by people who wanted to know everything about me and did not judge my worth by the economic status of my family—they cared about my family’s hardships, brought us groceries on holidays, and helped me go to college. My spiritual gifts and contributions to the community were encouraged, nurtured and celebrated. People treated me as someone who bore God’s image in the same way that they did. My family’s poverty, which had previously isolated me in fear and shame, no longer defined me.. My sense of value and purpose as a child of God has subsequently transformed my life, worldview and vocation.
This is the power of relationships in the kingdom of God.
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1 comment:
i'm looking forward to your continuing this line of thought.
keep up the good thinking!
psoup
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