Are Questions Allowed?

Do you know how to drive? If so how did you learn? Do you have a checking account? Yes? Did anyone explain it to you and when you first opened it?

I know that when I got my first job, and first “real car”J, and auto insurance, and recently independent health insurance I didn’t know what I was doing. I had TONS of questions, but was too embarrassed to ask them. It was as if I thought that because I had a college degree now I am supposed to know everything all the ins and out of this “real world”. Thankfully that was a lie and I had people that came along side of me and TAUGHT ME and I learned how to do these new exciting things.

Yet the other day I was saddened when I heard a young mother tell me of an experience that she had a local bank. This mother wanted to start investing her money; she had heard about CD Investments and wanted to look into them. First of all this is a very courageous thing to do, to step out and to try something new… to want to better your children’s futures and at the same time stepping out of what has always to been to what might be. As the young mother proceeded to meet with a bank clerk she explained that she did not know much about CD Investments but that she would like to learn about them to see if it was a good choice for her family.
Well… the clerk couldn’t believe her ears and asked my friend, “Don’t you know how to manage money?”
The young mother laughed nervously as she replied, “Well no that is way I came hear to ask how and where to start.”
“If you can spend money you can manage it!” The clerk answered in a condescending tone.
After this and a few other unkind and unhelpful comments, the young mother walked out from the bank. She questioned herself if she even had the right to ask questions. She questioned herself why she didn’t KNOW how to do things.

To the readers:
Does this surprise you? That a young women living in the hood does not know about these things? Does it surprise you that I really don’t either? Why do we “expect people to know things that they have never been taught? Why have we, Christians allowed the government to take the place of what the Christ has called us to do?

This is the kind of fast day I'm after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts.What I'm interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families.Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once.Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage.Then when you pray, God will answer. You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am'

-Isaiah 58:6-9