The World Turned Upside Down

Black is white and white is black. 

What looks right is wrong and what looks wrong is right.

This has been my life these last two days. 

Yesterday Chris and I went down to Venice to hunt up and find Jimmy, which we did. We had some very good visits. In between our visits we stopped off at a church which is known for helping the homeless. Rather, they want to be known as reaching out to the homeless. We went inside the foyer and were met by two well dressed, good looking older women, but they were cold as ice. They kept their distance except for their eye-balling. I guess we made quite a show,  Jimmy with his long hair, Chris is a skin head and I a Little Person. So the two looked us over from head to toe in every which way, while Jimmy asked for a certain person which wasn't in so they couldn't help him. Then as we turned to leave Chris asked for a glass of water. They said they don't have water, so they couldn't help him. Those women were volunteering to be at the church because they were Christians, but they wouldn't even give a glass of water to quench the thirsty. So are they there to help people? By appearance they are, for they sat at a desk right inside the double doors, waiting for people to walk in and ask for their help. But they wouldn't even give a glass of water.

Tonight I biked to the park. down at the far end was a white truck with loud Country Music pouring out and floating down the creek. It was beautiful and I biked closer and closer bit by bit. I didn't know the people. First person I saw was the woman standing on top of the picnic table reaching up toward the rafters. I thought, "Ha, trying to hide something." For a reason I was compelled to bike down there. I didn't know the people and by their appearance I didn't expect a welcome but I still biked down and stopped a short distance away from them. The two men were drinking. My eyes popped when I saw Owen was one of them and he was downing bottle after bottle of beer. But the woman came toward me and we started visiting. She sat down on the pavement and opened her heart. 

She knew Owen way back in her growing up years for the two families had been friends. There was a time when they parted ways because of schooling, marriage or whatever reason. But then they resumed their friendship. Tonight Owen wanted to go out to eat and so this couple took him in their truck. She gets so embarrassed by his eating manners because they are barely human, but she is his friend and remains his friend. No apologies. They came to the park and turned up the music as high as possible because Owen loves music. They had beer because the men love beer. Owen drank too much, which he does for days on end, but they remain friends. Sometimes Owen just wants to be with people, so he goes over to her house. She always takes him in, lets him lay on her couch. Lets him vomit, because they are childhood friends. 

I left the park marveling at this woman. All evening I have been mulling over the contrast of yesterday's women who profess to be of Christ, to this lady tonight who actually has a heart of Christ. I don't know if she professes to be a Christian or not. It doesn't matter what we profess to be for by our fruit we are known.