Living out our faith in the real world is often very difficult. We often have situations that come to us when we least expect it. Today, Awaken contributor–and my brother–Matt Garrett talks about a difficult situation:

“The first winter storm has passed and so has the school district’s first two-hour delay. I had brought work home in anticipation of such an occurrence and after shoveling the sidewalk was set to begin.

One was one of my daughter’s classmates and her younger sister came to the house as I finished shoveling. The older girl has been over a few times. I was neither sure why, nor happy the girls were here at 8:00 but it was apparent they had nowhere to go and were cold.
They came inside. They hadn’t had breakfast so we took care of that. The older one did not own a stocking hat, so we got her one. The younger girl’s book bag was severely torn. I don’t know the family dynamic other than to assume finances are tight and to know the mom often is unaware where her girls are. She has come to our door more than once inquiring if her daughter is here. And it was apparent she was unaware her daughters were here this morning.

I was struggling in my heart. I knew I was doing the Christian thing by allowing these girls to come in and feed and clothe them, but was also irritated my morning’s productivity was going to be impacted watching someone else’s uninvited kids. I had to stop my work to handle an argument, discipline my daughter, turn on cartoons for the younger one, and help find lost lunch money. And I was irritated with my irritation, believing it went against the Christian spirit.

My inner conflict ensued when I reminded my daughter, in earshot of her friends, of my on-campus work commitments if there is a two-hour delay tomorrow (likely considering it is to be below zero) and of our policy she can’t have friends over without a parent home. I said it politely and it was all true. I didn’t want the girls walking a half-mile to our house in sub-zero temperatures to be turned away. Not going to work or allowing the three of them to be home unattended were not viable options.

I will never forget the sadness in her fourth-grade friend’s eyes. I wasn’t just looking at the face of a ten-year old without the stable home life I took for granted as a kid. Statistically, I was looking at the face of a 20-year old unwed mother with no chance at college. The 40-year old woman twice divorced from deadbeats and with a possible substance abuse problem. The 60-year old woman who can’t imagine retirement and whose own adult kids add stress to her already difficult life. The 80-year old woman who will die with few mourners or any legacy.

It is easy to follow God’s call to offer two hungry and cold girls an apple, granola bar, hat, and two hours of shelter. It is easy to pray for their needs and success in reaching their potential. Nothing else about it is easy.”

More to come…
Jeremy