[Podcast] The Troll Under the Bridge

02/03/21 • 3 min

When we bought our house it was listed as a fixer-upper since it was so long since it had been properly cared for. Once we started cleaning, we discovered many high-end feature that the builder had included, but because of neglect and abuse, it was hard to tell.

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The book ‘Misfits Welcome’ by Matthew Barnett tells such a story, about a broken man named Barry.

Barry had an abusive childhood. He had been locked away in at attic until he was seven years old, having his food brought to him and being cut off from the rest of his family. Barry didn’t find out until later on in life that he had been hidden away because the family felt disgraced because his birth was the result of incest.

As a result of the neglect, Barry was experimenting with drugs by the time he was eleven and became a teen addict. In spite of the drugs, Barry still managed to get a college degree and a good job, got married and had a family. But the drug use continued and eventually Barry lost everything. At the age of 40 he was homeless and living under a bridge. Under the bridge became his home for 17 long years. Kids called Barry the Bridge Troll because he had hair down to his waist, a long beard, and was very dirty.

Then one day someone saw Barry and cared. They took him some food and invited him to church. He went and his life took a turn. Six years later, Barry went to Bible school and now cares for the homeless and shares his story. Barry was the kind of man we would pass by and say “He is too far gone to change,” but God created him as a beautiful masterpiece.

Barry’s story reminded me of the day we received some pears from our neighbour’s tree. I didn’t want to eat any of them. They were misshapen and marred looking, not appealing to me at all. But I hated to throw the pears out without at least tasting one, in case I was ever asked how I liked them. As I peeled away the outer, ugly layer, the pear began to look better. Yet I was still nervous about taking a bite. How could anything so ugly taste any good? But when I bit into the pear, it was delicious. Ripe and juicy, exactly right. And then God reminded me how often I look at the people I meet in the same outward and judgmental way, deciding without knowing all the goodness that might be inside. How much I am missing by doing that?

Have a wonderful rest of the week and don't forget to see those around you the way God see them, Carol

Prefer to read? The content continues below:

The book ‘Misfits Welcome’ by Matthew Barnett tells such a story, about a broken man named Barry.

Have a wonderful rest of the week and don't forget to see those around you the way God see them, Carol

Previous Episode

[Podcast] Not Shaken By The Storm

These days, many of the conversations around me center on questions about Covid. What are the numbers for today? What phase are we in? What about school and work? What about..? What if ....?

I don’t know about you, but those conversations make me feel like I’m on a little, storm-tossed boat and the circumstances are going to be the end of me.

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Even though God has said He will never let us be shaken, it’s so hard to cast our cares on the Lord when we feel so weak and small and the problems attacking us are so big.

I was encouraged this week when I read a story in the Old Testament, in 2nd Chronicles, chapter 20. It goes like this:

When Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, an army came to start a war against him. He was afraid and decided to ask the Lord what to do. Jehoshaphat prayed “God, they have come to force us out of your land. We have no power against this large army that is attacking us. We don’t know what to do. So we look to you for help.”

Then one of the priests stood up and said “King Jehoshaphat, the Lord says don’t be afraid or discouraged because of this large army. The battle is not your battle. It is God’s battle”. Then the king and the people were told they didn’t need to fight, just stand strong in their places and they would see the Lord save them.

The next morning, King Jehoshaphat reminded the people to have faith in the Lord their God and stand strong. Then he placed singers in front of the army and as they began to sing and praise God, the Lord set ambushes for the enemy army. Instead of waiting to fight against the people of Judah, the enemy army all turned on one another and began to kill each other.

By the time the men from Judah came to the area where the enemies were camped, there was no enemy waiting to fight. All they found were dead bodies lying on the ground. King Jehoshaphat and his people won the victory without raising a hand.

I'm wishing you a worry free day, filled with singing, Carol

Next Episode

[Podcast] Our Perception of People Governs Our Actions

I’ve been thinking these days about how our perception of people changes when we allow ourselves to get to know them.

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I read about a woman who was wrongly convicted of murder and spent a number of years on death row. She said the guards weren’t allowed to speak to her because if they got to know her as a fellow human being it might have affected how they treated her.

As I’ve volunteered with ex-offenders and with those in prison, my perceptions about them have changed as well. Whatever poor choices they’ve made, or harm they’ve caused, they are still made in the image of God, and over the years I’ve seen many people become the men and women God meant them to be.

When we get to know someone as a person, I think it changes our level of compassion, often in positive ways. For instance, many years ago, when one of my granddaughters was a young teen, she decided to make sandwiches and give them out to the homeless in downtown Toronto. I walked with her, but every time she saw someone sitting on the street, I tried to talk her out of approaching them. I was afraid they might yell at her for giving them food instead of money. It took my volunteering at a homeless shelter to realize what kind and gentle people many of the homeless are, and to realize their situations sometimes are the result of years of neglect and abuse such as I could never imagine. Today I count it as a privilege to be able to serve them.

That’s why I was so bothered to hear that someone in our area went to one of the homeless camps out in the bush near the city and set one of the tents on fire while a homeless couple slept inside. They were able to get out safely, but why was that necessary? Do people really think the homeless prefer to live outside in the middle of a cold and snowy Canadian winter?

True, some are drug addicts or are mentally ill, but we need facilities to treat them, rather than ignoring them or hoping they will go away. We also need to see those on the street as people. Why not smile or say hello as we walk by a homeless person? Sure, they might ignore you, or ask you for money. Or if they feel delusional they may yell at you to go away. Then again, they may smile back, and all of a sudden you see that man or woman the way God sees them – and your perception is forever changed.

Have a wonderful day and be a blessing to someone else, Carol