Going into this conversation, I guess I didn’t really know just how much was on David’s mind. When I first started talking to him, he was in line to get breakfast, so I thought I would just say hello and leave him alone to get his breakfast. However, he kept beckoning me to follow him so that he could talk to me.
So I did.
Right from the start, he began expressing his unhappiness. I soon figured out that what he needed and wanted was just someone to talk to. He had a lot of anger and discontent that he wanted to vent. One of the first things he mentioned was the fact that he had just lost his job a few days ago. Of course this was a huge source of stress for him because now, he had no way of earning money.
From there, he began voicing his anger at God for putting him in this situation when he was already struggling with multiple things. I remember listening to all his complaints and feeling very sad for this man. David asked me so many “why?” questions that I struggled to find the answers to. How could I, as someone living a very comfortable lifestyle, respond to someone who was going through so much. I felt that I had no right. Nevertheless, I still tried to answer his questions.
He asked me whether God was really there, watching out for him. And if He was, why wasn’t He fulfilling his desire for a partner. He also asked me how he could put his trust in God, when so much has already happened to him. Honestly speaking, I was at a loss for words. I didn’t know exactly how to console this man, because I had never been in his shoes. Yet, I still felt like I had to answer his questions in the way I knew best, by using the Bible. David was asking many questions that I felt were rooted in lies about God’s power. As a Christian, I felt that I had to correct those misperceptions, to bring God’s truth into his way of thinking. But there’s only so much you can do to try and reassure someone that God really is there. The rest is up to that person, whether or not they choose to believe in that truth.
So yes, I did struggle with this conversation. But at the same time, I absolutely loved it. It challenged me in many ways. I distinctly remember David also asking me why I was willing to talk to people like him. To put myself in potentially dangerous situations, surrounded by potentially dangerous people. This question really caught me off guard but it challenged me to think about why I was doing this. I answered him by saying that this was my way of showing Jesus’ love to my neighbors. If I wasn’t going to do it, who would?
Really truly, if we don’t show love to our neighbors in need, who will?
–Jolene Chao, 11/22/17
← Read David’s Story (reported by Isabella)