Have-nots and Have-nothings.

I'm not the most well-traveled 26 year-old, but I've been a few different places on mission trips. I've been to South Padre Island, Texas on a mission trip. I've been to Mexico on three mission trips. Costa Rica twice. Colombia twice.

Between all these trips, I've run into my fair share of needy people. One needs not travel very far (or at all, really) to find needy people, but I've run into them on these trips. One tends to look a little harder on these trips, which makes a world of difference.

On these trips, I've run into a lot of people who might be referred to as have-nots. I've run into them in poor, undeveloped parts of the world. I've run into them in an orphanage in a crime-ravaged border town. I've run into them in an orphanage that specializes in the care of abused and sexually abused orphans. I've run into them in spring break party zones.

On most of these trips, I've gone with several other people. A common reaction to seeing people in these situations is to be surprised by how much they do have. This is usually a reference to non-physical things (a natural counter to "have-nots" usually referencing physical things), often love, joy, contentment, stuff like that.

Side note: That's never been my reaction to those situations. I don't really know why. I think part of it might be because I've always had a very clear objective to serve and to show love to the people I've run into in those situations. From the get-go my focus has been more on my particular place in the situation than on the situation itself. I don't know how that sounds, but it's served me well.

So it turns out that the have-nots have something after all...

So what about the people who don't have what the have-nots have?

Well, those are the "haves," idiot! Nice blog!

No, not them - I'm talking about the people that have neither what the haves have (tangible wealth) nor what the have-nots have (intangible wealth).

You ever meet one of them? Have you ever seen someone who looked like they just absolutely have nothing?

I've gotten as close as I'm going to get for a while, I think. It was at a Perkins restaurant. Now, the person I saw was working there, so they were gainfully employed. That gets them a lot farther in the physical part of things than the have-nots, so it ruins my story in a way. But I justify writing this because one doesn't likely make a whole bunch of money hosting at a Perkins. Probably just enough to get by. Maybe less than enough. However much it is, a decent portion of the material and financial lack common to the have-nots is probably experienced by this person.

But when I saw her face - this person was a woman - I saw a deep, deep sorrow. I saw a lack of intangible wealth, a lack of what many of the have-nots have. I saw her face and I was filled with sadness and empathy. I don't know where I get off making these kinds of judgments, but when I saw her face I just felt like nobody around her is ever good to her. Like she doesn't ever experience the love or the joy or the contentment or the enjoyment of life that keeps the have-nots going. All of this while also not experiencing any of the "advantages" to which the haves lay claim.

I'm not saying that wealth and possessions and status are acceptable substitutes for the intangible wealth of many of the have-nots. I'm just saying that one usually expects a person to have at least one of the two - tangible or intangible wealth. The notion that there are have-nots who also do not have any intangible wealth scares the hell out of me - I've likely lived a very coddled missionary existence.

Back to the woman - I saw her and I finished eating and I went outside into my car and sat with the rain pounding my car and prayed for her until the pain in my heart dulled. I could have done something more proactive. I could have interacted with her, though it's kind of weird to approach someone knowing that your initial motivation was "I looked at you and decided that your life sucks."

I guess that this is where I'm going with all of this:

This experience put a possibility into my mind - there may be some neglected middle ground of people who have enough tangible wealth to be neglected by people who seek to spread intangible wealth to those who lack tangible wealth. In other words, some people may have just enough to be completely ignored by people with the noblest of intentions and the purest of motivations.

Need is everywhere. Whatever motivates you to fill it (I am motivated by a God who chooses to involve me in the story of him extending his love and hope to the people of this world), need is everywhere.