Brokeness

After living in South Phoenix for over 4 years I have had the gamut of experiences with drama happening between both teens and adults. I have to admit that I had not experienced the extremeness of how important reconciliation is for the hope of seeing a neighborhood restored or revitalized. I understand how difficult it is for anyone to admit to the fact that they are wrong or did something that was purposefully intended to harm someone. I have been in the middle of teens and adults screaming at each other over crazy things and the result is brokenness that causes families to give the ‘eye’ to each other.

The reason why I am writing this is to rejoice in a small victory for God, not me. I have been around a couple of families too much over the last 3 years. It is at times easy to take someone for granted and to be taken for granted. So there is always some type of jealousy that arises when I spend too much time with someone, especially if these are teens or adults with different racial backgrounds. I can end up in a situation where helping one person means that I don’t help someone else and thus drama erupts. I have gone the range of being a bleeding heart to someone who expects everyone to step up and do it right. It is easy to say all of this, but not easy to actually live this mindset out.

I am seeing that it is easy to be someone who does give always all of the time with no strings attached. There is definitely a sense in which the gospel and God’s love for me in Christ is totally that. Yet, once I receive this incredible gift I have no choice but to be a servant how wants to give my all for others to see and understand the gospel. So the journey is empowering our teens and adults to step up with our partnership to do it different so they can go from brokenness to wholeness in their community. It is too easy at times to push my middle class way of living, i.e. education, doing it my way, being on time, being driven, etc.…. The reality is that most of who we are partnering don’t have the same life experience so there is obviously a disconnect and a sense of paternalism.

The journey is to walk, talk and listen to one another. Our goal is to see the community step up for itself and see real neighborhood revitalization take place that see brokenness turning into wholeness in an individual’s life and their families.