Shame

I have a friend who recently wrote a post on "Shame" on her blog. It was different than what I am writing today.
I want to be able to articulate my feelings in such a way that will truly tell the truth of what is in my heart.
I am poor. Not just poor in spirit. Just plain poor.
Monetarily poor. Our family lives under the national poverty income guidelines. We struggle from week to week and month to month and year to year.
Today I had a whopper of an arguement with God. I hate being poor. I told him. He said "I called you to this."
I said, "I don't WANT to be poor!"
He said, "Yes you do. You want my will."
DANG IT!
He's blessed right@!!!!
The problem isn't that being poor is bad. The problem is that being poor in this country is viewed as "shameful".
Fingers are wagged at us constantly and make us feel like we are lazy!
My husband works in a place that burns toxic waste and he sandblasts their tanks. In a hazmat suit. In ninety degree weather. And HE's LAZY????
I work for a place that serves other people just like me. I see them every day. People struggling from one pay check to another. People who have cancer and can't work. People who's children have a disability and they have to stay home and care for them. People who worked all of their lives and then had their pensions and retirement ripped away from them and can't get more than $10. a month in food stamps.
And yet we're made to feel shameful.
Well, here's what I say to you...middle class and upper class America.
SHAME ON YOU!
SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!!!!
Shame on you when you roll your eyes at homeless people as you drive by in your SUV feeding your children their third McDonald's meal in the backseat of your vehicle.
SHAME ON YOU!
Shame on you when you sit watching the news on your large screen TV in your beautiful home and judge your neighbor who is sitting on their front porch with three other families living with them because they can't afford to pay rent at three different places and must share a three bedroom home for 11 people.
SHAME ON YOU!
Shame on you when you make comments about people going to food giveaways at organizations and are concerned that they may go to more than one place and get food more than once a month from someplace. It's a shame that they only go to Sam's Club to take advantage of the free samples because they can't afford to fill their cart with all the lovely bulk items that you can.
Shame on you because you can help and you don't.
You don't want to enable them. Enable them to.....survive?
So, if I've offended someone today. Well, I'm sorry.
I don't want to feel shame anymore. I want to help as much as I am able to.
I, too, am to blame for these shameful things. The shameful attitudes towards others. So shame on me.
God help us to be like You and give out of whatever we have to those who have less. And sometimes even to those who have more. Just help us to be like you.