Daily Devotion - Tuesday, May 18

Journey Toward Poverty or Wealth?

In a fabulous necklace I had to admire
the anonymous string by which the whole thing
was strung together.
--Dom. Helder Camara,
Brazilian bishop to the poor

Each and every day more people are born into or arrive at the door of poverty than the number of people who are born into or arrive at self-sustaining affluence. It happens in our land and it happens in every country of the world. Global village realities are often ignored because we look at the fabulous necklace rather than the string.

How we long for a life where everyone is self-supporting, a life where everyone has nice gems on their necklace string! The reality is that fewer and fewer people are self-supporting. I treasure this story from Susan Classen (Mennonite missionary to El Salvador):

“A group of women in El Salvador called the ‘Mothers of the Disappeared, Tortured and Assassinated’ meet regularly as a support group. Affluent security forces during the civil war killed their husbands and/or children. One of the ladies, Antonia, says, ‘My life is like a necklace—the beads would have gone rolling all over the floor with the suffering I’ve experienced, if it weren’t for the support group that holds me together just like the string that holds the beads together.’”

Poverty has many different forms. We usually think of it economically. Yet, there are many different losses that cause each of us to arrive at a door of poverty. A support group kept poor Antonia affluent in the midst of her poverty. Support groups are important for every person. In order to have a deep and lasting trust, we must open our hearts to the hearts of others. As we take time to weave strands of trust, we are remembering the importance of the fine string holding the gemstones of our life.

A prayer for today: God of all creation, show me my poverty. Help me as I strengthen the string that holds the gems you have given me. Amen.

--Ben Keckler
05.18.10