That loaded, descriptive, term- privileged. What does it mean and how did we arrive in this place? Some of us were born into a life built within walls of security, opportunity, and easy access to resources. Our parents worked hard. Maybe it wasn’t so simple for others of us who pulled ourselves up by our boot straps and pushed forward using self motivation and determination as our only advantages. Whatever it took, or didn’t take, to fall into this camp should lead us to think deeply about the opportunities that are available to ourselves and to others- to the underprivileged, the disadvantaged, to the underserved. I was recently struck by a new perspective of the meaning of “privileged”. As if these types of words and labels that become euphemisms slide around in a kaleidoscope and the light hit the concept of “privileged” in a way I had never seen it. Privileged- Access to our giftedness Our gifts, our uniqueness, and our passions become our resources. We live beyond survival. We have free reign to explore, to utilize to dream, to imagine and to count the ways that our gifts and interests could potentially support us. No guilt here. No judgement or false humility. Just the reality of where we have landed. And then I grieved. Considering the alternative, the underprivileged. Those who maintain a daily goal to survive, to make it this graceless-get-ahead world. God, the beautiful artist who created every soul and body in his image, did not withhold his unique intricate design from anyone! Are we not all gifted? It should burden us that those who struggle are not able to use their gifts, to explore the miscellaneous side of life because they have to worry about staying alive. It hurts me! Can this lead us to compassion, not that we feel empty pity, but are moved to uninhibited generosity? Let’s cultivate a desire to detach from any worldly thing so that it can be freely given at any moment. And I hear the whispering feedback concerning individuals who maintain this unfortunate status based on their choices. Please do not. Ok if you must, but let me tell you that there is a hurt, a wound, a stronghold that would lead someone to these decisions. Can we not have compassion for a person who was never loved enough by someone who was willing to pour values into them that we learned from an early age? What do we see when we look at one another? If we are to genuinely see Jesus in others, to relate to them as if we are interacting with Christ, how would this change…everything? When nothing is ours, when it all belongs to Him, sharing and generosity come naturally. We have the choice to decide who holds our heart, and who holds our stuff. As we consider the backgrounds and roads that people have walked, we attain a new concept of patience, of gratitude, of shared burden. From the CEO to the man on the corner, I can’t help but believe that these men are both gifted. It’s amazing that every person walking this earth has the same creator. Made in his image. Brothers and sisters. Who’s back do you have? Who are you sharing opportunities with? Maybe the only useful thing gained from acknowledging this reality is that you become more patient and kind hearted in your response to service at minimum wage establishments, but wouldn’t that in itself change our world a little? I want the beaten down to thrive, to express, to create, to celebrate their unique design and giftedness inside of them. We don’t deserve the gifts, and we don’t deserve to be limited.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 21:52:34 +0000
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