You Always Have the Poor with You

You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.

- John 12:8, NRSV

Jesus told us we would always have the poor with us (John 12:8). He didn’t eradicate poverty or heal all suffering. He could have taken care of these things, but he didn’t. God did not send Jesus to solve all our problems; Jesus came to teach us how to live with our problems. This human life is difficult, full of hardships and disappointments interlaced with occasional joys and successes. Jesus’ life and public ministry reveal how he responded to these problems: with compassion and charity.

- Christopher Maricle, The Jesus Priorities

This quote was a part of my e-devotional today. I think a lot about Jesus' words that the poor would always be with us. That thought sometimes overwhelms me and discourages me. This just doesn't seem fair. This is especially true when I think that Habitat for Humanity's mission is to eliminate poverty housing from the face of earth.
I sometimes fool myself into thinking that if I could just help the poor I work with find a decent affordable house, all of their problems will be solved. However, this is indeed foolish thinking. I know that on the day that our Partner Families sign their closing documents they are still living in poverty. They will still have many struggles ahead of them. Hopefully Habitat has given them some tools that can help them face some of those challenges as new home owners but in the end they are still living in poverty.
Some would say that what Habitat does is foolishness. We give interest-free loans to people who cannot get loans from any other organization or business. We take chances on people who everyone else has given up on. Indeed, some of them fail. There are people who do not make it. Yet, Habitat has one of the lowest foreclosure rates in the country. Even in the midst of the largest housing crisis in the history of the country, Habitat continued to build houses and take risks and make a difference in a growing number of families' lives.
I cannot begin to put into words how humble that makes me feel. I am a part of an ongoing miracle. I am a part of a movement that is transforming lives and has generational impact on families. Every day I get to go to an office to help the least of these in our society. I get to enter their lives and offer them encouragement. I walk with them as they seek to make their dream of home ownership a reality.
This is often very hard work. It can drain me emotionally. I sometimes really have a hard time when I have to send a denial letter to an applicant who does not qualify for our program. However, I keep going because I know that my work has meaning in life. I know that I am about my Father's work and will and it is this knowledge that gives me the assurance to risk serving the poor with my life.
I give God thanks and praise for this ministry to which I can give my life and with which I can share my gifts. I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life. Thanks for being a part of my journey!