He saved us not because of righteous things we had done but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5
I went to Oasis Bakery, a local patisserie that specializes in assorted breads, cakes and other pastries, last night to get the family's "daily bread" - a fluffy, brown loaf of our favorite Big Coconut Bread. As I stood at the counter waiting to be served, I noticed a particularly filthy-looking boy in the bread shop, talking to a couple of the store attendants. "How did he get in here?" I thought as I looked him over. The plastic bowl he held in his hand identified him as an Almajiri, a member of an antiquated, and now abused, Islamic system of apprenticeship for boys and young men that emphasizes servitude and self-denigration. These lads are set apart by the way they look, always dirty, unkempt and decidedly indigent, dressed in rags and carrying around their begging bowls looking for handouts of money, food and any scraps society may throw their way.
This young boy looked very out of place in the clean and sophisticated insides of the bakery and I paid closer attention to see what this might be about. As I watched, one of the attendants went to the shelf behind her and picked out a nice loaf of bread and gave it to the boy. That's when it hit me - he wasn't here begging for food or looking for scraps. He was here for the same reason as me - to buy bread. I watched him as he walked to the counter to pay for his prize. His gait was timid and his bearing nervous, if not fearful, and I could see why. He was in unfamiliar territory. Such was his bashfulness that he shyly curtsied like a girl when he gave the salesgirl his money.
But for all this, no-one could take anything away from him - he had the right to be there. He was here not because of the state of the clothes on his back but because of the color of the paper in his hand. He may have lived as a mendicant on the fringes of society all his life but here and now, he could stand with me because the money in his hand said he could. His cash was his key, it spoke for him.
Now we are not so far removed from this poor boy as we might think. Aren't we ourselves beggars, too unworthy to even ask for a part in eternity? Don't we know just how filthy and undeserving of a place in God's house we are? After all, our best attires the Bible summarily dismisses as "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Like the Prodigal Son we all cry, "I am no longer worthy to be your child" (Luke 15:21). However we view ourselves - evil, bad, good or very good - all that counts for nothing. All that matters is where we stand with God and what Christ does for us. Don't you just love that verse - "… while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Wonderfully good news! My salvation has nothing to do with how good I am. It has everything to do with how generous He is.
And all of a sudden, the beggar deserves to be in the presence of the King. I deserve to be in heaven. What a wonderful statement. I deserve it because Christ speaks for me and He says so. Period.
With love, Doosuur.
No comments:
Post a Comment