WOYWW: Was he Jesus?

 My desk this morning.

A fan to keep the heat away.

A bag of Cornicks to keep hunger away!

 "He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully." 2 Cor. 9:6

A couple of days ago I read and meditated on 2 Corinthians 6:10, "We own nothing, and yet we have everything." I promised myself I would be more generous. And yet just yesterday evening when someone begged from me, I turned him away after looking into his eyes and seeing desperation. After a little while, I regretted my action. I asked my husband, Luigi, "Was that Jesus, do you think?" And he, jokingly, answered me, "Yes." We were eating in Bigoli in Trinoma, and I stood up, exited the restaurant and looked for him. He was gone. Just like that. A lost opportunity to sow bountifully.

I don't like giving money to beggars. And I do not expect to be bothered in such a way in Trinoma. In Divisoria or Quiapo perhaps, with its teeming mass of humanity, I would have been more prepared. But Trinoma, a large shopping mall with expensive shops and restaurants? God's tests can happen anywhere. If I was prepared for this test, I would have thought right away to buy him food. When I remembered, he disappeared. Was it Jesus?

 ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:37-40

 "Love your enemies!" Matthew 5:44

Is this at all possible? When we think of Palestinians and the Jews? When we know of the atrocities to Christians by Isis? When we remember what happened during the Holocaust? Is loving our enemy possible as Jesus wants us to do?

In February 1993, the son of Mary Johnson was fatally shot by 16 year old Oshea Israel. 20 year old Laramiun Byrd was shot in the head after an altercation at a party. Israel had been involved in drugs and gangs, and was tried as an adult. He served prison time for 17 years.

Mary Johnson was just consumed by hatred. She called it a "tsunami" of hatred. I think most of us would just plain understand this. I can't imagine not hating someone who shoots my only son!!! But Mary Johnson stayed in church and it would be 10 long years before she would be able to look at her heart and choose to forgive. Her Pastor asked her to teach a lesson on forgiveness and she heard Jesus say to her, "Mary, pray for him like you are praying for yourself." And she did. Then she heard, "Every time his name comes up, say, 'I choose to forgive." She repented and forgave him with a true forgiveness. She did not know that as she prayed for Oshea, he changed too.

She went to visit him, and they talked. To love your enemy means you have to feel their pain. You have to get to know their story. You have to understand their history. And the more Mary and Oshea talked, the more they got closer. When Oshea was released from prison, Mary threw him a homecoming party. Her friends were there to support him too. Today, they live next door to each other, and share a porch. They go around sharing about the power of forgiveness.

There are many stories about how people are able to rise above their "humanness" and become superhuman. Loving is the only super power that we need. It is creative. It is transforming. It is redemptive. It is freeing. It is healing.

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Blessings!

Patsy