Hopeless in Italia
Giuseppe stopped by. Bepe (short for Giuseppe — or Joseph in Italian) is our electrician who is getting ready to install some lighting in a new room of our ministry center. I’ve known Bepe for about 8 months now and have enjoyed his hard-working, get-it-done-when-we-actually-get-around-to-it mentality.
So, we planned out the work-order as if it were the first time we had done so.
Installation is just around the corner. We can feel it. Oh, that’s lunch. It’s 12:30.
Just before we finished up the plan, I wanted to find out what was going on in Bepe’s life since I was gone for a good portion of the Summer. “Come stai? Bene? Vita? Come va?” You know, profound man-talk. Then I asked Bepe how his family was and how many children he has. His answer was, “We’re OK. I have two children — actually one — we lost our son last year.”
Bepe’s son was killed in a head-on collision last year near Aviano when he tried to pass a slower vehicle in front of him. This means that I met Bepe only a few months after his son was killed and this is the first time he was really able to share anything. My heart went out to him. “Lord, how do you want me to reach a hurting, angry-with-You contractor?”
I gave him my warmest condolences and shared with him how Christ the Creator also loves him and wants to know him as “son”. I kept it simple so that I could hear his heart. And this is what Bepe shared as if it were a secret script passed around these regions that we regularly hear but are never allowed to read. “I’ve become a pessimist; a cynic. There is more pain to life than joy and pleasure. I wake up every day and try to find strength from somewhere. Then, I go to work and make as much money as I possibly can so that I can live the day. Who knows and who cares about what happens tomorrow. And at the end of life - whatever.”
Interesting, those were almost the identical words I heard from our plumbing contractor about the loss of his son when his son was a young teenager. Although Livio added, “I smoke today because I like it and I don’t care if it hurts me tomorrow. Who knows if it’ll be there.” Both of these guys are very talented and gifted in what they do. You can see the image of God all over His creation. Sadly, these are hollow-hearts filling hollow-spaces. Pray that the Light will shine through to their minds and refreshing springs of water will flow abundantly into their hearts where only hopeless men once dwelt.
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Rings true to many of the hands-on, labor intensive individuals you meet in everyday encounters; your approach to their spirit vs. their lifestyle is one we all need to mimic. Thanks for being a leader once again bro.
Comment by Aaron — 9/12/2007 @ 4:06 am