How a man can change

Place: Ate, Lima, Peru. Situation: Walking to work at 11:30 in the morning. Thinking about the things in life that you didn´t think you would think about.

When seeing things for the first time, it is hard to take it for granted, but the more you see it, and hear about it, the easier it is to take for granted. Growing up as a kid, I had it easy. I am sure that I complained about things, or cried because I did not have something I wanted. But really, I had it easy. Ask yourself that same question. Do I have it easy? Right now, I still have it easy. Yes, I may have to walk to work, and I have to work hard to get what I have, but I can get it. How often do we think of those who do not have, or do not eat?

Peru is a third world country, and everyday I see things that change me. A small child begging me to give him food because he is hungry. A woman with three children sitting on a dirty street, dressed in dirty clothes, holding out a dirty hat in hopes that someone, anyone, will drop in a few dirty coins.

Again and again the scripture comes to mind. I do not know it by heart, but you will know what I am talking about. What you do unto the least of these my brethern, ye do it unto me. How often do we find ourselves giving to Jesus, or just walking past, head down, hoping that He will not notice? He does notice.

I walk past these people everyday. I give what little I have, and sometimes nothing at all but a wish and a hope that someone else will give. But always I have a pain inside that I do not do more when I can, and when I can´t.

This morning I was coming home from work and this lady came up to me. "Por favor, un sol, tengo hambre." "Please, one coin, I am hungry." It is enough to make you cry. But when you are around it everyday, it is easier and easier to ignore, and even avoid such encounters. There are two questions that need to be considered. And the first maybe isn´t the best.

Is this person really in need of my help, or do they just want my money? It is a hard question to answer, but it probably keeps some people going hungry and cold at nights.

The second question is do I have enough to spare? The coins that I carry with me usually find their way into a dirty hat on a bridge, or a sidewalk, or in a park. But I can be doing more. I need to be doing more.

Life can be hard sometimes for all of us, so please, be happy always with what you have, and think of those who go without everyday.

Brandon J. Greer