The Boy- 2013

Yesterday was our first writing  assignment of the new school year in my Bible 1 classes. As I have done the past several years, I projected this picture on the screen with these directions:
Tell me your reaction to this photograph but don't just tell me what you see. Here are some of the replies, all used with permission. I will share some more of these thoughts tomorrow. Boys are in blue and girls are in pink. The first two writers are 8th graders and the final two are freshmen.

I see a little boy starving and alone. I see a man with a bag of food walking by a starving human and not even giving him a second glance. I see humanity at one of its lowest points.; the point where a man who is well off will not share his bag of food with this poor and starving child. Is this what our world has come to? That we reject the poor and homeless? That we reject those who need our help more than ever? I think that man would have been fine without his food. His world will keep turning. But this little boy’s world is slowing down quickly.

                                -Olivia 

Even though this man see this child, he just walks by. It seems like a thing a big jerk would do, right? But we do the same thing everyday. I go downtown at least five times a week and on every corner, you can find a homeless person looking for food. But we say, well, if I give him some, I might not get any. And that's what is happening here. This man has plenty of food but refuses to let some go to give to this starving child. And yet, we were all this kid once. At one time or another we were not spiritually fed but God gave us some of what we needed. It is written in Esther, “Who knows how he put you in this place like this.” God gave us those blessings to give to those who don’t.

                                -Storm 

This little boy is more than skinny. The struggle to survive is hard for kids with little money, little food, and little clothes. This picture makes me feel very grateful for all the things I have. It makes me want to give more instead of complaining about what I don’t have or what I want. We ignore the blessings we have most of the time, and forget about people that are less fortunate than us. We see many homeless people and videos of kids in Africa that need help but we never show any reaction to try and help them. We think but we don’t show.

                                -Makenzy 

All I want to do is invite that little boy to Thanksgiving. We make so much food it comes out of our ears. I want to wrap him in a blanket and just say how bad I feel for him. I just want to yell at the guy and say, “Can you just stop and look at this boy! Give him something! You are rich, can you not spare some food for a boy that has nothing?” This picture just makes me think and close my eyes and just feel ashamed that I’m the guy who walks away. I wish someone would yell that at me and tell me to help him, but in truth, no one should have to tell me- I should know. When Coach Hawley had us look at this photo on Facebook I wouldn’t even look at it, I just wanted to close my eyes and forget, yet with a picture like that, it says so much I can’t forget.

                                -Maggie 

Applicable quote of the day:
"¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
James 2:14-17 (NIV)

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com