Ministry is messy

I went out to lunch (in Alabama) with my Mom and a friend. There was a man outside the restaurant who asked us for some money as we went in and he said he was looking for work. We were at five points south and I knew of a man who used to let homeless people do jobs for him in exchange for hot dogs from his shop. I told the man I would accompany him around the block to see if he could get work there. He said the man probably wouldn’t employ him and didn’t want to go check. In the end all I gave the man was a handshake and a have a good day.

Inside the restaurant I commented to my mother and our friend that most people don’t know to expect ministry to be complicated when it involves human beings. If we try to help someone and it doesn’t go as smoothly as expected, we assume we are doing something wrong or have messed up somehow. Sometimes it gets complicated because the person we are helping is trying to manipulate us or get something from us that won’t be good for them. Sometimes it’s complicated because the person’s needs are complicated.

In North America, cash is probably the smallest need of most people who will ask you for it. They may need rehab, they may need someone who will listen to them, they may want your respect as a fellow human being. Knowing that the solutions to their problems (and ours) are rarely immediate, don’t let that stop you from doing something.

(The gospel of Christ’s atonement for our sins is usually most effective coming on the tail of genuine love and concern for another’s well being.)