Once again, I found myself surrounded by garbage piled higher than my head. It needed to be sorted- metal, glass, dangerous items, burnables. You couldn’t just dig in, even if that was what you felt like doing- and honestly, looking at some of the things in that pile, it was the last thing you felt like doing. There were nails and tacks and needles to watch out for. The lady of the house had been a sewing aficionado, and a majority of her sewing tools were mixed into the bunch. I wasn’t excited about the idea of being a pin cushion. The mud laden and soggy tatami mats made it difficult to sort out the small garbage that was pinned under them.
I was finding a number of odd white soaked papery items that seemed far too heavy for their size. If I pulled on one end, they often shredded a bit as the material was quite weak when wet. It wasnt until I found an entire bag full of these mysterious white items that I realized they were adult diapers. The elderly couple’s house had been completely flooded by the swollen river after the typhoon. Now the entire contents of their house had been dumped into their front yard, clearing the house of everything- furniture, clothes, memories, and of course, adult diapers. Considering how everything was covered in mud, it was difficult to know if the diapers I had been tugging on before were muddy or used. I guess in the end it doesn’t really matter. It’s not like I was going to ask the couple to come clean up that mess. That was what I had signed up for.
This year has been a constant peeling away of the many layers of prejudice and selfishness and ignorance that have blinded my eyes to the needs of others. I still have a long way to go, but I feel like finally, finally, I am starting to see Jesus more clearly. I worship a Savior who came to this earth and got his hands and feet dirty. I worship a Savior who ate, drank, slept, and yes, even used the bathroom! (shocking!) Jesus had needed someone to take care of his diapers, once, too. If only I could see others’ needs as the needs of Jesus. How could I hesitate to do anything for Jesus, who gave the ultimate sacrifice for me?
So, this is my prayer-
Open my eyes. Let me see Jesus. Let me see Jesus in each and every one of my neighbors. Let my actions toward my neighbors be a natural outpouring of my love for God.
Open my eyes. Let me see Jesus. Let me see Jesus in the faces of each of my students.
Open my eyes. Let me see Jesus. Let me see Jesus in the faces of each of my coworkers.
Jesus live through me so that others will see you, too. Amen.