Malviviente

El barón sauntered down the stone road ahead of me as the sun began its descent into the nearby mountains. His new jeans and baseball hat were immaculate, but his stature and facial features gave away his indigenous background and the poverty that was only a generation away. His swagger and tattoo gave away how he planned to overcome that poverty.

After the next bend he was striding toward us: a young mom with baby in a stroller.

“Dame tu celular!” - “Que?” This time he lifted up his shirt to reveal a machete tucked in his waste.

I stared in his eyes and handed him a cell phone that had been slobbered on and thrown down too many times by Elijah.

“Dame tu dinero!” – “No tengo dinero. Solamente llaves.”

Then he left, confident in his score.

Though I was frightened that he might follow me home and discover more booty, I had to smile at the futility of his actions. The knife in his belt made him feel powerful for a moment.

I thought of Elijah on his quest for a “no-no.” Now that he can crawl Elijah thinks he owns the world. When he gets his hands on something that’s not for baby – perhaps one of Rey’s books for school – I let him think he can have it for a moment, than promptly take it away. His perceived power is limited by my control over his world.

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it…
Who is the King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle…(Psalm 24:1; 8)

“The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken” (Psalm 37:14-15).

The knife in his belt made him feel powerful for a moment. But I feel fortunate to be on the side of the One who owns the world.