Dichotomy

As Abe and I (Allie) were driving to Easter services at our church last Sunday, I took a look out the window and realized what a beautiful day it was to take a picture of the Chicago skyline. Yet a slight turn of my head brought me to a different sight as we neared our church. Some of the most notorious housing projects in the nation are literally a block away. Our church is in an area that's being redeveloped, which means some of the housing projects are now vacant lots, some are empty buildings, and some still house residents.

As we got out of our car, we realized we parked in front of a homeless man's camp. The man told us not to worry, that he would be the security guard for our car. This man without wealth was sitting with a million dollar view of some of the world's most famous and expensive buildings.

I've noticed that the difference between the "haves" and the "have nots" is more pronounced in Chicago. Designer clothes and cars co-exist with homeless camps and immigrants trying to survive.

I don't pretend to have the answers to Chicago's problems. But this is what I do know: I don't want to be blind to the needs around me. I don't want to be lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that I am better than someone else because I have a roof over my head. And, I don't want to be so caught up in my life that I see the shiny towers and miss the desperate people.