Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

This last Sunday, Hector, Maribel and I walked the entire river portion of area 89.  It had rained for two days previous and was very cold.  Due to the weather, almost everyone was in their house.  One of the few people we talked to was our new neighbor to our property.  He asked Hector if we needed any help with working on the property.  Hector explained that we had no money to pay him for his work.  That was fine with the man.  He just wanted to help.  

As we walked further on, Hector explained to me that the man had told him that he lived alone.  He had been very cold during the rains and he was trying to clean up the mud and water left from the rain before it happened again. 

I am still impressed with the character of the poor that I continue to meet.  Could it be that the things other than shelter, food and clothing; the things that we call "blessings" are the very things that keep us far from Kingdom living.  I continue to meet the most hospitable people I have ever met.  It is so easy to me to see why God is attracted to the poor.  If anyone has time for God, it's the poor.  If it's anyone that expresses thanks to God first and foremost; it's the poor.  

I know that the Bible says that we will always have the poor with us.  Some, after reading that, think "Why bother then?  If the poor are always going to be with us, then what is the point?"  Could it be that we need the poor in the world to teach us who have so much?  Think about this.  What about the poor Christian, that suffers everyday?  The ones that I've met look forward to their home in heaven much more than you and I do.  They appreciate the simplest of things; practical things and show no attitude of deserving anything.

I continue to be amazed at the love God has shown toward me.  His love and compassion keep compelling me to love others.  I find myself constantly thinking what can I sell so that others may have just their basic needs met.  Or I'm thinking much more often, "If all that I think is mine, is really on loan from God, then as His steward of His stuff....hmmmm."  It's like I've taken the purpose driven life to my "things".  I feel like if my "things" aren't serving a God's purpose, then they need to be given away to someone that could use them, or sold so that the money could be used in a better way.  I'm learning how little time I have for "things" and relationships are where I want to invest my time.