Wednesday, November 29, 2000

Read Luke 6:20-26

"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."

It's not any fun to be poor. Ask anyone who is. To be poor means not only to be without some of life's basic necessities; it also means there are barriers that keep you from becoming un-poor. Sharon is a woman with two small sons whom we first met when she moved from Milwaukee to Waukesha and was living in a battered women's shelter. She moved into transitional housing and was able to get a job within walking distance of her home, daycare, school and job. She had no car, and it was complicated getting the oldest one from daycare to afternoon kindergarten. She arranged that she would skip her morning and afternoon breaks and take a longer lunch break, enabling her to make the connections. This worked until we got into boot and snowsuit season; getting the child dressed for the outside and transferred took longer and longer, and she lost the job. Eventually she moved back to Milwaukee, and landed a factory job as a temporary worker. This paid well but had no benefits. She also had to work second shift, which meant some precarious child arrangements, as well as using public transportation late at night. She has finally worked her way into a full-time job with benefits. Her situation has improved. She has better living quarters and has managed to buy a car. Life for Sharon is better now, but it has taken her about five years to get stabilized. She was lucky. She had support from friends, relatives and a UMW circle to make it all happen. She had people who CARED about her. No one did it for her, but she had a hand to hold when she fell down, and a cheering section when she made it.

The barriers of transportation, available child care, access to health care, opportunities, and one's own demons are often are often more than an individual can surmount. Lack of education and lack of knowledge about opportunities are additional barriers. I am sure that Sharon would be the first to tell you that being poor is not easy. Still, she feels that God has been good to her.

God has a preferential option for the poor. "Blessed are the poor." --SFG

Suggestion for Meditation: What are the barriers to self-sufficiency that I see for people I know? What can I do about them?

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