New Monmouth Musings: Did You Ever Practice Genshai?

Dear Friends,

I have been reading a wonderful book by Kevin Hall called Aspire. In it, Hall refers to a conversation he had with an Indian from Calcutta who taught him a Hindi word that changed his whole perspective on the word charity. The ancient Hindi word was Genshai,(pronounced GEN-shai) and it has an even deeper meaning than our English word charity. It means "that you never treat another person in a manner that would make them feel small." 

I quote the words of the Indian speaker who said "As children, we were taught to never look at, touch, or address another person in a way that would make them feel small. If I were to walk by a beggar in the street and casually toss him a coin, I would not be practicing Genshai. But if I knelt down on my knees and looked him in the eye when I placed that coin in his hand, that coin became love. Then and only then, after I had exhibited pure, unconditional brotherly love, would I become a true practitioner of Genshai.

As I thought about the word I realized that there have been times when I have practiced charity, but few if any times, have I practiced Genshai. It is easy to feel sorry for someone and in your effort to help provide for their need in some capacity, but seldom have I thought about the importance of meeting that need without making the recipient feel small. To do so takes a rare quality of empathy and compassion. I also confess that I am not sure I have ever knelt down, either physically or in a spiritual sense, to address that need with a conscious effort of not making the recipient feel small or of lesser value or importance.

I think that must have been one of the strengths of Gandhi who was able to identify and connect with the poorest of the poor. It was certainly the mark of our Savior who had the ability to identify and feel the intense pain of others. The Bible frequently refers to Jesus as being "moved with compassion”. The word 'moved', in its original language, conveys the idea of convulsing or retching in pain at the sight of someone's circumstances. See Matthew 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; and 22:34.

When I think of this kind of love, I think of the story of a little boy tugging on a farmer's overalls as the farmer was driving the last nail into the post, on which he was advertising some puppies he was selling.

"Mister," the little boy said to the farmer, "I want to buy one of your puppies."

"Well", said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer.

"I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look"?

"Sure", said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. "Here, Dolly," he called. Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly, followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.

As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball of fur appeared. This one was noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner the little pup began hobbling towards the others, doing his best to catch up. It was clearly the runt of the litter.

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt.

The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never will be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would"!

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so, he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching to a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see, sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands. How to Handle Adversity, Charles Swindoll, p. 146

The little boy perfectly revealed the spirit of Genshai, and hopefully you and I will do likewise. 

Yours in faith,

Pastor Tom