From Forward Day by Day
1 Corinthians 1:28-29 God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God.
Years ago, Irma taught me to make Mexican rice. As we chopped ingredients in her kitchen, she filled in details about her life. Born into poverty in Mexico, she came to the United States illegally with an abusive husband. She left him and moved into a homeless shelter with her children. Over the years, she became a citizen, got a job, and earned her college degree. She was close to earning her master’s degree in social work. It was a little intimidating to think how this nice woman had suffered and achieved so much—like a cooking lesson with Wonder Woman.
The first Christians harnessed the energy of those whom we neglect. They recognized the overlooked and overwhelmed people—slaves, women, poor people, despised outsiders—as brothers and sisters and gave them a chance to use their talents in the name of God. Together, they built a church. Imagine what we could do as a culture if we allowed the spirit of God to move through us today the way it did then.
