It's not always easy to be a practicing Christian

On Monday I learned once more how difficult it is to practice Christianity to a tee. There is a Tuberculosis Hospital near my son’s school. On my way from picking him, I saw a woman coming from the hospital who appeared to be drunk as she was not very stable on her feet. At close inspection, it was clear that she was quite ill and needed a lift.  I was at a busy junction, monitoring traffic from my left and right so that I could get onto the highway, and had a long queue of cars behind me. I got so overwhelmed and drove off. Apart from the fact that I was keeping my eyes on the road, a lot of thoughts were whizzing in my head. I feared that she could have been so ill that she could have got into the car and died, and then I would have had a really messy situation on my hands. I would probably still be at the police station getting my fingerprints taken and “assisting with investigations”. Maybe the woman’s family would have been there too, baying for my blood and claiming that she hadn’t been that sick when she left home and demanding that I shame the devil and tell the truth about what really happened. Weird things can happen when someone dies.

The bible, however, doesn’t teach us to justify our transgressions. It encourages us to help whenever it’s within our capacity to help. I even have the verses on giving at the tips of my fingers:

Proverbs 3:27 – Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it. 

Proverbs 28:27 – He that gives to the poor shall not lack: but he that hides his eyes shall have many a curse. 

Luke 3:11 – He answered and said to them, He that has two coats, let him impart to him that has none; and he that has meat, let him do likewise.

But that’s just what this accursed world has come to; reading the bible from cover to cover without putting what it says into practice.

When I got home, I wished I had stopped and picked her even if the ensuing delay would have annoyed other drivers. On the other hand, that would probably not have been wise. I don’t really know much about TB, which I know, at certain stages, can be highly contagious. Maybe there are precautions I needed to take before having her in the car. But what made me feel so bad was that she was someone’s mom and she was vulnerable. I would have wanted my mom to be helped if she ever found herself in such a position. Then I also thought, if I can feel bad about this, it probably means I don’t really have an evil little heart. If I were cruel, I would have had no contrition whatsoever. Deep down, though, I know that a good heart is useless if it is not put to good use. Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” The goodness of my heart shouldn’t reflect from what I say but from what I do. I should have just called the police. The Royal Swazi Police have their moments of amazing grace. I’ve heard of drunkards that call the police to take them home when they can’t drive anymore, and they’re chauffeured home!

As I was busy beating myself up, I thought of a story I heard at church a long time ago. A woman was told that Jesus was going to visit her. She cleaned the house and yard from top to bottom.  A dirty old man walked into her yard asking for food. She chased him away and hit him with a broomstick. She waited and waited, but Jesus did not show up. The angel that had notified her of the visit came back, and before he could say anything, the woman complained that Jesus had stood her up. The angel told her that the old man she had shooed away had been Jesus. The moral of the story was that if you claim to be a Christian, treat everyone as you would Jesus. And I failed dismallyL.