I Am The One

I Am The One

Scriptures: Luke 17:11-19; Numbers 12

The title of this Thanksgiving message is “I Am the One.” Have you ever been the one person to do something that no else was willing to do? Maybe in school you saw a kid being bullied and you were the one person who stood up to put a stop to it while everyone else just stood by and watched. Maybe you were on your job and there was a situation that needed addressing and you were the only one willing to stand up and bring the issue to light. Maybe it was a situation where a volunteer was needed and no one was willing to step up so you did. In life we will all experience times when we are the one; that one person that steps beyond the crowd to act alone; the only one who will stand up and do what is needed. It is during these times that people may or may not notice your actions but your actions were not dependent upon anyone’s approval. You acted because you believed it was the right thing to do at the time.

In the United States, we are celebrating Thanksgiving this week and I want to share a story about a man who received something from the Lord and was the only one to say thank you. I do not want this to be lost on you. He wasn’t the only one to receive the blessing; he was the only one who chose to say “Thank you.” Before we go to this story, I want to share a personal story with you. In 1973 I started Junior High school. At this time in my life I had a lot of pride. This pride did not originate in me because I came from an affluent family; actually it was the opposite. We were not rich or middle class; we were poor, maybe not as poor as some, but poor nonetheless. This may be hard for some of you to understand when you consider the salaries people earn today but that was not the case in 1973.

For all families, a middle class family in the United States in 1973 earned $12,050 or $69,890 in today’s money. However, the median income for a white family in 1973 was $12,600, or $73,080 today. The median income for a black family in 1973 was $7,270, or $42,166 today, which is 42% less than that of a white family. In 1973, in order to be in the middle class you had to earn $12,050 annually. To be middle class in the black community you had to earn $7,270 which was 40% less than the middle class designation for all families in the United States. If your family was able to make the $7,270 in 1973 they would fall in the bottom 25% of all earners in the United States. In other words, to be middle class in the black community you would still fall in the bottom 25% of earners in the United States. We were not a middle family even in the black community. In elementary school we received discounts based on what my parents earned. Sometimes during the summer we went to a special lunch program at the community center to eat lunch when there was minimal food in the house. It was during these times that I realized how stretched financially my parents were in raising five kids. I did not like the “feeling” of being poor so I determined within myself that I would not act poor which subsequently led to me displaying an air of pride and arrogance. It was a show because I was embarrassed about being poor. I needed you to understand this background so that you can understand the story I am about to share with you – the story of my pride getting me thrown out of a store.

As I said, in 1973 I started Junior high school. I was in the 7th grade and my brother was in the 9th grade. Every day my father gave my brother and me one dollar (fifty cents each) for lunch. Since my brother and I were on different lunch schedules we had to get change for the dollar before school so that we would not have to try to find each other before lunch period. So, on our way to school we would stop by this one store to get change. I would go into the store and ask the owner if he could give me change for the dollar so that my brother and I could each have our lunch money. He would give me the change and then I would walk out of the store and give my brother his portion. This was my routine every day. I would go in, ask for change, get it, and walk out. I had a chip on my shoulder about being poor so I had a lot of pride. It was this pride that made me think that going into his store made me his customer and thus I was doing him a favor in allowing him to give me change for my dollar. Don’t laugh, while it might seem funny now, what I am sharing with you partly shaped who I am today. It was my attitude that I was his customer even though I was not buying anything. In my simple mind whenever I walked into his store it was his responsibility to “serve” me. I want you to see that image clearly. Just because he owned the store and I walked in did not make me his customer even though I thought it did. Now I want you to hear me closely on this because you will hear this again in the story we will read.