As I look out my back window I see the fence rotting away. The elements of winter attack my home. The cold slips in like a thief, taking with it all thoughts of comfort or warmth for my family.

My children surround me with their tattered and worn clothes.

The baby is crying for some food. The cupboards are bare.

I was fired from my job last month. They fired me because I called in. My baby was running a high fever, I had to take care of her.

I had worked for them for six months, never missing a day. I miss one day and they fire me.

I have tried to get another job. I can’t afford the daycare to go on interviews.

Daycare is not the only thing I can’t afford. I haven’t bought new clothes in seven years. That was the year when my first baby was born.

The children’s Dad was with me then. He left after impregnating me with our fourth child.

As I look out my window I see you adding another building to your church.

“What are you building this time?” I wonder.

Last year it was a new sanctuary which blocked my view of the sunset.

The year before it was a children’s building.

The year preceding that it was a new parking garage that cast such a shadow on my little shack. I am now continually in the shade. That would be okay but I love sunshine more than shade.

I took my children to the opening ceremony of your children’s building. No one even greeted us. It seemed to be all about the building.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was really grand. I wish you could have cut all of the glaring stares that were directed toward my children and me. When my baby cried the older women looked at me with disdain.

I didn’t know that buildings even cared if babies cried or not. I sure know that your children’s building wasn’t meant for crying babies.

I kept hoping that somehow we would feel the love of God in your church so I forced my children to go to your Sunday school.

That was a mistake.

The children there made fun of my children for the clothes that they wore. My children came home crying.

How am I to teach them about God’s love if you don’t show them?

When we came home my children asked me what your church was all about.

I said, “I don’t know. I guess it is about building buildings.”

I think it is your Bible that says you should take care of the widows and the fatherless. In fact I think that in one verse it says if you do that then you are truly righteous.

It doesn’t say anything about how many buildings you need to build.

You say it is their dad’s responsibility to take care of his children. I couldn’t agree more. I just wish I knew where he was.

You say I shouldn’t look to the government for help but how many times have you offered to help me?

None that I can remember.

I know I was the one who had these children and they are my responsibility. I totally get that. I naively thought that their Dad knew that it should be his responsibility too. My bad.

In the Bible it says that God will be a Father to the fatherless.

I am not sure how He is supposed to do that when He is up in heaven and me and my children are down here on earth. Maybe that is why He thinks it is so important that you take care of the widows and the fatherless. He may be hinting that He needs you to help.

Maybe if you stopped building all of those buildings and started looking over the fence, you could help God out a bit.

You may see four little children who would love to have someone to play with.

You may have some clothes that you could give them. We don’t mind second hand.

A couple of warm meals every now and then would be appreciated.

I am not jealous of your buildings, nor am I saying that your progress is evil. I want God to be in the best house on the block.

I just kind of think though, that if Jesus was walking on our street, He may stop by my home first. I imagine He would be a hit with my kids. He may even offer to take them to a park for an afternoon so that I could go and apply for a job. I bet when I got home my pantry would be overflowing with groceries.

It sure would be nice if you would look over the fence into my life. The last time I checked I think that being a Christian was about being Christ like not about how many or how big your buildings were.

This is a rewrite of an article published by my close friend, Jeanine. She had it published several years back as an article entitled “The Rotting Fence.” She has released the article to me for a rewrite, but still retains all copyright on original.