A Dark Laugh

“Blessed is the one who does not… sit in the company of mockers” Psalm 1:1 All societies are broken and build up walls and divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots”. In Russia, the “have-nots” are very visible. In front of our home is a group of destitute homeless beggars who depend on the large foot-traffic at our intersection. The route I take to language school is the route frequented by disabled veterans of the Chechen wars begging to make ends meet. The most disturbing aspect of this public display of brokenness is found in the public apathy and disdain that is shown towards these realities in Russia. We recently read an article that declared a dead man laid across a busy public bus stop bench for hours before anyone took the time to call the authorities. I have recently seen several situations where drunken men, or homeless hobos, were publicly mocked and scorned. The stigma attached to the poor in Russia is perhaps most apparent in the stamps that are placed in an orphans passport and ID. Employers and all who need access to an orphans ID know up front that these individuals grew up in an orphanage and are therefore most likely “invalids” in society’s eyes. You can imagine then what shame an orphan feels and the tragedy that the poor find themselves in here in Russia. In my opinion our willingness to mock the poor and the downtrodden is a self-defense mechanism we display. All of us know that we are among the “haves” only because of a few small circumstances. Things could have been different, even for us. We want to forget this fact and pretend that we are somehow special and self-sufficient. The fact is we need someone outside of ourselves to support us and see us through. We are dependent on God, he is our only trustworthy source and foundation. In fact, in Christ we are called to be like him and actually identify with and minister among the down and out. So, let us not sit among the scoffers, but instead follow Christ into the trenches where his grace truly shines brightest.