I’ve always liked the beggar-to-beggar definition of evangelism – “…one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.” Since I feel more beggarly than ever these days, I’m drawn to “my people,” not so much as an authority on God, but poor enough to reach other poor folks. Befriending the Lord’s beloved is no heroic venture. We beggars genuinely enjoy each other’s company.
It turns out that my losses are more like gains in the pursuit of sharing my testimony with not-yet-saved people. My relative “destitution” imbues me with a greater empathy for other hurting people, many of which hurt much, much more than I. My physical, emotional, financial neediness reduces any sense of superiority by which I was formerly deluded and I realize how deeply allied I am with people broken in both body and soul. My scarcity tends to construct a bridge between me and the “inadequately capitalized.” Rather than a curse; my neediness is a blessing as I embark on a kingdom seed-sowing mission.
– Originally published in The Other End of the Dark: A Memoir About Divorce, Cancer, and Things God Does Anyway (the profits of which go to Freedom House).
barney wiget 