Whose story is it anyway?
Competition exists on all levels. CEO's of major firms, between and within businesses, politicians, universities, high-schools, teams, even between homeless kids living on the street....
Many times as we walk around downtown San José, we have homeless people asking us for money or food or something along those lines. But I have never been asked what we were asked the other day.....
We had just left Raul (sup doggy) and were on our way home when another kid, Ronnie, came running up to us demanding to know if we knew the Nicaraguan kid (Raul).
Of course we do...and as we stood there talking we realized he was really pretty angry at Raul. Apparently, the story he had been using to hustle money from foreigners, Raul had stolen and was reaching the people before Ronnie could. Which meant that whenever Ronnie approached someone to begin his pitch, they had already heard the story and wouldn't give him any money.
As we stood there almost laughing, taking in what was happening, he repeatedly asked us to tell him what story Raul had used. When he finally realized we weren't going to tell him what story Raul told, (mostly because none of us really remembered by this point anyway), he asked "well then, whose story is better anyway?"
Many times as we walk around downtown San José, we have homeless people asking us for money or food or something along those lines. But I have never been asked what we were asked the other day.....
We had just left Raul (sup doggy) and were on our way home when another kid, Ronnie, came running up to us demanding to know if we knew the Nicaraguan kid (Raul).
Of course we do...and as we stood there talking we realized he was really pretty angry at Raul. Apparently, the story he had been using to hustle money from foreigners, Raul had stolen and was reaching the people before Ronnie could. Which meant that whenever Ronnie approached someone to begin his pitch, they had already heard the story and wouldn't give him any money.
As we stood there almost laughing, taking in what was happening, he repeatedly asked us to tell him what story Raul had used. When he finally realized we weren't going to tell him what story Raul told, (mostly because none of us really remembered by this point anyway), he asked "well then, whose story is better anyway?"
As we got on the bus to head home, I was hit by the way we all are competing for something, and often it consumes us...much like the way it killed Ronnie to think someone might have a better story than his, especially when it affects his potential income.
Jesus lived in a way opposite to our world of competition and the "get ahead" mentality. He practiced serving and loving in a way most people saw as weak. Yet to walk in the Father's love as he walked, loving as he loved and serving as he served, that took a much deeper strength than anything the Pharisees were capable of, or of anything I would naturally exhibit...
For me, much of competition arises out of the fact that I do not understand the Father's love for me and the security I have in Him. The more I begin to understand this unreserved love and forgiveness, the more I will be capable of walking as Jesus did...
posted by Anna @ 8:39 PM
2 comments
