I was wrecked.
I looked at his gift- oval-shaped gemstones speckled with his kindness. His smile broke out bright as day against his ebony skin, dark as night.
“Mama, why did Uncle E give you 6 eggs when he could’ve given them to his 6 kids? Isn’t he poor?”
I held back tears.
Here in East Africa, I learnt that if one is a foreigner, having staff on-site at one’s home is considered not a luxury, but a necessity for guarding against break-ins.
But nothing prepared me for this rude awakening- the costs of employing staff, high rates of unemployment, and the sheer poverty of everyday people- E had 6 kids with no stable income.
All week, guilt-ridden by how much I’d been over-paying staff many times the “normal” rate, I was advised to bring them down. So there I was, doing math to adjust salaries, when suddenly, this act of radical generosity pulled the rug from under my feet.
All night, I stayed up in bed, thinking of E with his bow and arrow doing night guard duty, a despised job in society, his thin frame shivering in the wind, grappling with what it meant to be fair but kind, refusing to exploit and yet not be taken advantage of, too. What was a “fair wage”?What was being generous yet wise?
I’m learning, what it means to give others dignity with compassion, not pity. I’m discovering what it means to give generously, but with wisdom over time, not overnight. I’m exploring what it means to cut back on our little luxuries so others may simply live.
I’m learning, as much as we desire to change the world, so much first begins at home. Whether we hire staff or domestic helpers, perhaps we can ask ourselves what we’re willing to give up for their well-being- days off, bonuses, school sponsorship for their children, daily words of encouragement- to gift them what they have lost— dignity.
“What do you need to do this job well?”
“A coat and boots, Mama,” he said to me.
“Of course,” I said. “And a pineapple from our kids, for your eggs. Ninakushukuru kwa mkarimu. (Thank you for your generosity.)”
*If you’d like to share how God has enabled you to reconcile these disparities and to act justly, love mercy, feel free to share with me. 💛