Every Circumstance Is An Opportunity

i was in town the other day, shopping for some things for the house. i walked past a man sitting on the ground and i couldn't help but catch a glance at his broken body. once his eyes met mine, he started yelling and begging for me to help him, that he wanted money. but i just kept walking.

as i continued to walk, i could hear him speaking to me from afar. it was the hardest thing for me to turn my back on that man. i even wondered what Jesus would have done in that situation. He would not have turned His back on the man like i just did.

i feared for his life if i were to have given him the coins i had rattling in my left pocket. who knows if he is "working" for someone who is harming him to receive the gifts given to this poor man.

my heart breaks when i see men and women and even children sitting on the sidewalks with no arms or legs or crawling around helplessly. unfortunately, this is a common thing for people to do in countries like uganda. many times i wonder how my God, the creator of the universe, could let something like this happen. but then i remember about a story i read in john chapter nine a few weeks before i came on this journey.

when the disciples asked Jesus what the blind man did to deserve his condition, Jesus replied, “neither this man nor his parents sinned but this happened to him so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:3) poverty is not a sin. i believe it is a condition, a circumstance that allows God’s work to be displayed.

every circumstance is an opportunity for God’s work to be displayed. will we do His work? will He be displayed in our lives?

UPDATE: time to put my craftiness to work! i've started putting things together in little baggies, such as fruits and a bottle of water, and carrying them in my bag to give to the people on the street. sometimes, if a ugandan is with me, we like to stop and chat with them! maybe i'll even post a picture of us someday!

Sincerely yours,

Katie Sandy