I had a dream that I was homeless. The dream was full of ethical dilemmas.
- Is it okay to steal a jacket? I stole a jacket a few times. I rationalized that I needed it to stay warm.
- Someone gave me some food with real metal utensils and a glass of juice. I wanted to return the utensils and glass but could not remember where I had got the food. I thought about writing down the address in a notebook when this happened again. Then, I wondered if writing down the address would make the person feel unsafe.
- 3. I was sleeping on a bus and the bus driver stopped the bus and started talking to a black woman who appeared to be sleeping too. He kept touching her and my neighbor started telling him off. Since my neighbor started telling him off, I joined in but much softer than her complaints. I struggled because I didn’t want to get arrested or kicked out into the cold but felt that the black woman deserved more of a defense than one my neighbor was doing. pray that I never end up homeless because I doubt that I could be ethical and be homeless.
These ethical dilemmas reminded me of some Bible verses.
“Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: keep falsehoods and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:7-9, NIV)
This odd dream has helped me to understand this verse better. I wonder who Agur, son of Jakeh, is. Here is a sermon based on Agur’s prayer.