Courageous Kindness

On NPR this week, I was disheartened to hear a story about how sales of personal handguns and ammunition are on the rise in the midst of this recession. In particular, a comment was made by one of the interviewees, that people are buying more handguns because they, "love their country and are afraid of their government." Seems to me that the buying of personal handguns for protection would reflect a "love of the government" (in that those individuals would be thankful their 2nd amendment rights have been upheld) and they are "afraid of their country" (in that they are afraid of the potential desperation of their neighbors.) Is this the reaction we should be having and highlighting?

I'd like to focus on something else: Just this week, I withdrew some money from an ATM near our community house in Hollywood. In a moment of forgetfulness, I took the dispensed money and immediately started walking away. About a minute later, a young street kid came tearing down the sidewalk on his skateboard, yelling and pointing at me. I was, I admit, apprehensive and became quite guarded as he neared me. But as he slowed, I saw in his hand my forgotten ATM card and receipt. "Thought you might need this," he panted. This difficult time also has the potential to bring the best out of us. That kid could've accessed my entire checking account and made a quick profit, but didn't. He went out of his way, put all his might into getting my card back to me, and though I was afraid at first (because he was, in essence, chasing me), I smiled at my misunderstanding. It's this kind of "offensive kindness," as opposed to the "defensive fear" at the heart of the NPR story.

"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being." - Matthew 6:19-21, The Message

It's people making the right choice, even in the face of easy gain, that will bring about our stability and our hope yet again. I thank God for that street kid and the choice he made. May we all have that kind of courageous kindness.

On the topic of courage and kindness, this week also brought us our second Discover group, shown above helping to remove grass in our community garden. Not only were these 12 high school girls some of the hardest workers I've ever met, they astounded me with their willingness to share testimony from their difficult lives towards the purpose of healing and reconciliation. These girls are currently attending a school to help them overcome troubling pasts, and their leaders had made the profound and purposeful decision to help the girls find their own sense of value through service and their ability to help others. They all interacted with homeless peoples at their worksites and found many areas of common ground, important convictions, and a sense of new hope. Courage. Courage in the face of difficult odds. This is how we store treasure in heaven. This is how we survive this economic crisis as a country, as a people, as individuals working in community, together.

So please consider coming to Hollywood (without your personal handguns) and working with our neighborhood and our community this summer. There's plenty of work to be done, and if you open yourself to it, most of that work can happen within your own heart. I am deeply moved by what I saw this week, what I learned, and how God revealed his awesome plan through the smiles and tears of these young people.

ANNOUNCEMENT: WE NEED MORE HELP IN THE GARDEN. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.