"Redeeming Mess"

I found the following poem at the back of my dad's book last night, and just wanted to post it. It was written by David Witt, a man I've known since I was about eight or nine. He and his wife lived and worked in the slums of Manilla for a number of years - they even had their two sons while they were on the field. They now live and work in Hamilton, in some of the rougher parts. They remind me of all of the men and women who I have had the privilege to come to know throughout my life - people who, when I think about it, remind me that there are still incredible Christians hiding in and around evangelical churches.

Redeeming Mess
by David Witt

Weaving tapestry out of discarded thread
faded, tattered, in colours no one wants
Pegs in shapes that fit no known holes
gouged, broken, scraped from improper use
Fields of harvest with grain ignored
people God loves, disfigured by our sin, as well as theirs.
Who will reach the dehumanized
those society discards by labeling--
Unwed mothers
Drunken bums
Welfare cheats
Ethnic minorities
Dropouts
Unemployed
Homeless.
Where will we find skins to hold such unconventional wine?
Can we live to welcome them,
rather than change them for our comfort?
Can we see them through His eyes rather than the world's,
perceive pearls of greater worth than our GNP?
He redeems our tidy huddles with messy grace
if only we are willing to embrace them and learn.