A Tribute to Steven Castro

When I first met Steven, he was homeless, jobless, a convicted fellon, and very hard to look at because of acne scars and his rotting teeth. That was almost four years ago, and now Steven has a job, an apartment, and a Christian dentist in Houston that made Steven some dentures for free. Being Steven's friend has not always been easy...as a matter of fact, there were definitely times that I wished I had never met him. You see, Steven can be a bit annoying at times. He doesn't just call once and leave a voice mail, he calls thirty times a day until you answer the phone and talk to him. This really bothered me for a long time, but then I began to see the way people (including myself) treated him, and I realized he probably doesn't get too many "call backs." My guess would be none. He has to keep calling, because if he doesn't, he will be forgotten. In some ways, it seems Steven was born forgotten. His life has been a sad story. Steven can be really good at playing the victim...he expects things not to go his way. This, too, can get very annoying. But then I kept thinking, "Would I be any different if I had not a friend in the world and all my efforts to get out of my hole were met with bitter frustration?" Even the churches in town won't let Steven in (5 and counting have turned Steven away, Chruches of Christ, Baptists, Bible, and non-denominational), even though he is a genuine, born-again Christian. He has a checkered past, he doesn't look polished and clean, and he has a tendency to ask for financial help continually from those he befriends, and so...he isn't welcome, not even to a church. He had a job at Sonic for a while cleaning the parking lot, but some woman who had heard about his past demanded that he be fired or she wouldn't be coming back. Needless to say, Steven was fired. She goes to one of those churches. He had a job at Quiznos for a while, but almost the same thing happened. His past was discovered, and he was fired. Just a few weeks ago, he was at a convenience store using a pay phone and was beat up by a man screaming, "We don't want child molesters around here." Too bad that man didn't take time to learn Steven's story. He might have learned that things are not always what they appear. Steven called the police, and even though he provided them with the man's licence plate number, they said they couldn't do anything. I'll bet if it had been a white, middle-class woman who got beat up they could have done something. But it wasn't...it was Steven. I confess, there have been many nights that Steven has called and asked if I could meet him at Starbucks to just hang out for a while and I told him I was too busy. I wasn't. If any of my other friends had called and asked to hang out, I would have found a way. Steven has called before and asked for money for groceries, and I told him I din't have any spare money. Yet, if any of my other friends had asked for money, I would have found a way to help. And I am one of Steven's friends. So why didn't I help him? This gets to the heart of the matter. I didn't help Steven because Steven didn't have anything to offer me. He didn't have money, he wasn't well known, he wasn't well connected, he wasn't easy to look at, and getting seen with Steven could give you a certain stigma around town, and so I didn't help. The root of the matter is this: my love is mercenary. How could this be? I am a Christian. I love everyone... at least I thought I did. Not so. I love those whom it is convenient to love. Father forgive me. Jesus forgive me. Steven forgive me. You have been my friend when in fact you should have spit in my face. I have turned my back on you in your hour of need many times, and yet you do not hate me. You still call and ask to go to Starbucks. You are a good man Steven. A better man than me. Only one other place have I found forgiveness like that... Jesus. Thank you Steven. This is my tribute to you. You have shown me unconditional love when mine was mercenary. You have exposed deep seeded and culturally accepted sin in my life, and in so doing have made me a better follower of Christ. You have helped me to see how prideful and selfish I can be, and I am a better man now because of you. One day Jesus is coming back Steven, and for every ounce of joy I will feel at His coming, you will feel 10,000 times more. I love this world far more than I should because it has been kind to me. You, on the other hand, have a far more clear understanding of reality. This world is not your home, and you know it. You are anxiously awaiting your Saviour, and on that day when He comes back your joy will be the envy of all who see. God bless you Steven, and I could wish that everyone had a Steven Castro in their life.