Breaking of Bread
By: Lydia Kim
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8 (ESV)
As I sit at the wooden table in our backyard, I remember the sweet summer I spent refining it with my dad. Countless hours of building and sanding these once displaced pieces of wood came together to be something quite beautiful–a gathering space. Echoes of laughter and intricate conversations with my family come to mind, as we gather and cherish one another at this table. The four chairs that surround the table have more permanence to them compared to the long bench that settled on the other end, leaving plenty of room for friends and neighbors to join. My idea of this bench transformed through convictions the Lord gave me as to who was deserving or even allowed to occupy the space. To me, the bench was intended for those that I deemed to be alike to me in various ways. I realized that I had often been exclusionary without realizing it, neglecting the very same humans whom God calls us to love. I got caught in my own splinters of frustration at the injustices of the world, yet remained complacent and passive. The more I tried to tug myself away from these miniscule fragments out of guilt, the more pain and resentment that would ensue. God gently sanded the table, refining the splinters and helping me to see that brokenness and beauty could exist in the same place. It is a representation of the mending between brokenness and beauty of my own family, of communities, and of humanity itself.
When reading the above verse in Micah, its diction stands out: doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly. I think the tendency of many, including myself, is to forget about the action of these three things. It’s easy to see injustice, unkindness, and pride come to the surface every day and become complacent with its prevalence or fall into the “ignorance is bliss” mindset. News headlines flood our mornings, yet we don’t take the time to lament with those who are suffering. We pass by unhoused brothers and sisters as we walk in downtown areas, yet do not glance their way. Actions of empathy can be extremely uncomfortable and thus society deems them something to be avoided, but that is the opposite of what God requires of us. As we see people experiencing injustices in multiple scopes, our reaction should be to empathize and serve these people as Jesus did. He was the one to practice proximity, drawing near to those who were neglected and often forgotten by others. As Matthew 25:40 iterates, to care for the least of these is to care for Jesus (ESV). Our love for Jesus is something to be translated into our love for others, but it can be a journey to put into practice.
The Lord challenged me in who I welcomed to the table this past summer through my internship with Simple Charity, a non-profit organization that encourages Christians to walk in solidarity with those experiencing poverty and injustice. As an intern group, we volunteered at a local homeless ministry in Durham, NC throughout the summer. I had the privilege of serving these amazing people who were undergoing adversities of homelessness, loneliness, and much more. I eventually had the opportunity to have conversations where I learned their stories and aspirations for the future, which I hold closely to my heart. I think that even a small step like that allows us to genuinely care for others and give a glimpse of the Father’s love for them as well. Although I haven’t gone through that same kind of suffering, listening and being an advocate of justice for these people does matter. During our last week in Durham, we were invited to take communion with these brothers and sisters. As we passed the elements representing Jesus’ bread and blood sacrificed for us, my perception of the table was steadily changing. Broken humans gather to recognize their brokenness and look to the beauty of our continual and collective redemption. Even in our splintered stories and struggles to carry out justice, love kindness, and walk humbly, the Lord’s presence is found at this table. It is a beautiful gathering of people made in God’s image and I am greatly honored to be here and have the ability to welcome others to the table.
Lydia is a third year majoring in Global Commerce and Environmental Thought & Practice
