Opportunity

Tonight I went to a mission team dinner with my church. Our church often has mission teams in who help rebuild the city. This was a smaller group so we sat around for about an hour just having conversations about life in New Orleans. We were discussing how similar New Orleans at time can seem to be like a third world country when one of the guys on the team mentioned "hey, this is still America - any kid in the lower 9th Ward has just as much opportunity as anyone else". Two years ago that comment would have probably just rolled off of me....of course he does. After working for the past two years with ethnic student ministries and living in an urban environment, I realize just how ignorant that train of thought is. In theory, in this country we all have the chance to make "it".....to live the American dream - but for a group of middle class white folks sitting around the table, that dream is pretty easy to live. I now see the struggle that those who come from the inner city face. They have very few role models. They often have no nurturing families, they have failed schools with no one at home asking them if they've done their homework or encouraging them to pursue a college education. Education isn't valued. There are more African American men in jail in this country than there are on college campuses. Who are the role models for the children of the next generation? We easily complain about how bad the schools are, about how low the work ethic is in the city.....what we don't understand is that there is a powerful cycle that traps most people in a life of poverty. People can overcome but I just think it's wrong of us who have been given so much to sit back and just say "overcome, I made something of myself so can you". I've had to overcome very little in my life to be successful.


When I think of the problems of a city, it overwhelms me. There's so much that needs to be fixed and I think as Christians we often retreat because we can't "fix' the problem. After living in New Orleans for a few years, I'm starting to see that I'm not necessarily the one to "fix" the problem but the way I live and give life to those I encounter reflects the kingdom of God. Everyone matters in God's economy - everyone should be seen through His lens. One of the most tangible examples of this in my life is a friend who lives in one of the world's largest cities - there is much wealth and much poverty in that city. One of the things that I've admired the most about him is the way he treats everyone with respect. I've seen him walk into a meeting with a major influencer in his job and treat that man the same way he treats the guy who walks up to him trying to sell a trinket on the street. He lives the gospel to those around him and people experience life as they interact with him.

I hope that the Christian community in New Orleans will be characterized as people that give that same kind of life. In a city that's marked by crime and violence, that we will cross the line and treat everyone with dignity and respect. That we won't wait for some one else to make a difference but will see our lives as an expression of the kingdom. I hope I will be that person - that I won't rush through my day thinking the things I need to do are more important than the moments I have to care for the people around me. I hope I won't retreat back to blissful ignorance because it seems easier to say that everyone has an opportunity than to admit that I've been privileged because I grew up in a white middle class world. I hope that I will see my city through the eyes of my Savior rather than my eyes that often judge based on appearance or status.