The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.
[Adapted from “The Stench of Poverty,” by Alex Kahtava, February 2014 Herald, p. 26]
Years ago, I was in an overcrowded city to share in a congregation. It was in what some describe as an urban slum. As I plodded toward the church, it seemed this was not my first visit. Yet I had never been in the city. What was so familiar?
I saw buildings, signs, markets, and people. All were new…yet everything tugged at my inner being—I’ve been here before.
Finally, I stopped, closed my eyes, put my hands over my ears, and realized—it was the smell. It was the stench of poverty. The odor had filled my nostrils in many parts of the world. The people and languages were different, yet the smell remained.
It was the stench of unfulfilled hopes and dreams, despair, and hopelessness. Yes, poverty has a smell, described by someone as being like “dried fish, burning garbage, and body odor.”
That stench remains with me today and causes me a dilemma. On one hand there is a passion that the stench of poverty be gone forever from all places. On the other hand is a passion that the stench permeate every worship service, business meeting, conference, reunion, and retreat—whenever two or more gather in his name—so decisions are made and actions are taken to replace the stench with the hope of the peaceable kingdom.
In Compassion: A Reflection of the Christian Life, authors Henri J.M. Nouwen, Donald P. McNeil, and Douglas A Morrison follow a reference to Matthew 25 with this statement:
Action with and for those who suffer is the concrete expression of the compassionate life and the final criterion of being a Christian…Jesus Christ, who did not cling to his divinity, but became as we are, can be found where there are hungry, thirsty, alienated, naked, sick, and imprisoned people. Precisely when we live in an ongoing conversation with Christ and allow the Spirit to guide our lives, we will recognize Christ in the poor, the oppressed, and the down-trodden; and will hear his cry and respond to it wherever he is revealed.
My journey continues, my nostrils still filled with the stench of poverty. And I am aware the stench permeates my neighborhood, my community, my city…
Prayer Phrase
“Love your neighbor as yourself” (Romans 13:9).
Spiritual Practice
Healing for Broken Spirits
Begin with quiet prayer. Ask God to help you detect some “sore places” in the body of Christ and God’s creation. Become aware of people who feel separated, wounded, or left out. Reflect on or write a short journal entry of healing words to at least one person who comes to mind. Ask God for words that will touch this person’s broken spirit like healing ointment. Keep this person in your heart and prayers today and act on any ideas that come to bring blessing and wholeness.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.