Exploiting the Unfortunate

Job 24:3 They rip off the poor and exploit the unfortunate

I had supper the other day with a friend who is housing an Iranian woman who is applying for asylum in the United States. This woman joined us, and she was gracious and intelligent, serious and eager to learn. After only about 9 months here she spoke English better than I speak any foreign language, even after years of study, and was unafraid to ask when she didn't understand a word or a question. She is working as a nanny for a family with 3 boys under 4, and my friend had offered her a bedroom for the week-ends so she could gain some power in her work situation, by having some place else to go. My friend spoke with passion about her embarrassment for her country in how this woman had been exploited at every turn. I don't know the details of her situation, but clearly something terrible had required her to abandon everything, including grown children, to seek safety on our shores.

What is it that makes people feel they can take advantage of people who are in vulnerable positions, rather than feeling called to support and protect them? I know women who are normally fair-minded and yet expect their child's caretaker to work endlessly, be ever at their beck and call, foregoing time off to serve their needs. I remember a friend whose nanny couldn't show up one day because her own child was sick, which meant my friend had to scramble to deal with her own work situation. She actually, honestly asked me if she shouldn't fire this woman because she hadn't shown up for work. Yet, she would have been incensed if someone from her job had suggested that she be fired for missing work because of an ill child! Perhaps it's just easier to see when we ourselves are being exploited, and it's not so clear when those who are more vulnerable than we are are being exploited through our own actions.

I've focused on women in my examples, but I know there are equally many examples in men's lives. The point is that scripture is clear that we are to protect the vulnerable, take care of the "widows and orphans" as the prophets say, which stands in for all the vulnerable people in a society. I know that I try to be fair and open in my dealings with others, particularly those who provide various services for me, and it's often a balancing act of feeling that my kindness is being exploited, vs. exploiting the other for whatever their vulnerabilities may be. Can I examine all my dealings with others and be sure that I am not exploiting anyone? Maybe not, but I can ask God to help me live out the intentions of my faith, which is to deal with everyone in a respectful, fair-minded way.

Prayer: Dear God, I pray for those who may be exploited as a result of my actions, and ask your forgiveness. Moreover, I pray for Your Spirit to guide me, to open my eyes to the ways I exploit others and lead me in alternate paths, so that everyone I touch can feel the warmth of Your Love and Care. Amen.