THE SOUL is shaped by words, images, & experiences.

THIS BLOG is about those things that have left their impression on me. I'd love for you to comment on what affects you.
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Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Chain Gang

He thrusts a shopping cart at me--the stoop-shouldered, white-haired old man who whiles away the last of his days greeting Wal-Mart customers. He doesn't smile. He doesn't look happy. And it makes me sad that he isn't off fishing somewhere, enjoying his retirement with his cronies or grandkids. I can't help but feel that the economics of our government have failed this man, that the breakdown of family in our society has left him out in the cold, and that the chain store has lead to his dehumanization.

Humans seem to be a cheap commodity these days. Take the disgruntled employee in the garden department of our local Sears store. I didn't have to probe him to learn what little regard the store has for its workers. Since being bought out by K-Mart, the store's "new policy" dictates that every return--including products that cost as little as two dollars--must have manager approval. But the manager is not easily accessible. Our frustrated clerk, who looked to be in his late 40's early 50's, had to hunt for his superior. You'd think by his age, he'd have earned enough respect and trust to get the job done on his own. Nobody seems to care. All that matters is money.

"Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." -Jeremiah 31:3

The truth is, there is Someone who cares. Jesus cares. The Lord Jesus Christ knows the value of a human soul better than anybody. He shed His priceless blood to deliver each one of us from the bondage of sin, the sorrows of this life, and the horrors of hell, so that we could be with Him in blissful eternity. Now that's something to smile about!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love coming and reading your post. They are such a blessing! I like the way you take a simple every day experience and tie it together with the Bible and my Saviour. If we would learn to do that with every thing, then we would always have our eyes on Him, where they belong. Can't wait to see you next week, we have missed you around here. And to let you know I didn't forget about you, I tried to write you, but your e-mail kept on coming back to me.

Anonymous said...

Great post Lydia! I know exactly the people you mean.
But then sometimes you meet somebody who knows she is loved by Jesus, and it shows up in her eyes and her conversation and the laughter she has in the face of difficulty. Sure, in the world's eyes, she's a "have-not", but God is fond of using those. You get the idea that to her, working at Wal-Mart is an adventure. Who will Jesus bring across her path next? I want to be like that- so confident in Jesus' love for me and the reconciliation He has made for me with the Father, that it changes the way I see everybody else and spills over into my love for them.