A dear friend shared the Moravian Daily Text with me this morning . The first verse in the text was "Those who oppress the poor insult their maker." (Proverbs 14:31)
My first inclination, my knee-jerk reaction as I read these words, was to point fingers at others. Then, the words turned on me with lightning speed in my own silent accusations. Just as Atticus Finch in 'To Kill a Mockingbird' said that there was more than one way to make a person a ghost, there is more than one way to oppress the poor (and there is more than one type of "poor").
And so my prayer is this ...
"O God, take me by the hand, teach me to truly see others, help me to be one to lift up, not oppress. Forgive me when I oppress others and insult you. Sigh, I said 'when', not 'if', didn't I? Even when I
consider my personal oppression, I still fail others in so many ways. Every hour, I need your guidance and help for me to see the many shades of oppression and respond with your Son's compassion and love. AMEN."
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