And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.

The story goes, the Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt had two disturbing dreams. At some point Joseph (who has the gift to interpret dreams) is brought before the Pharaoh to interpret the two dreams for him. The dreams were a warning that following seven years of success & prosperity, there would be seven years of famine in order that the country could prepare itself for the shortfall. Joseph then makes the recommendation that the Pharaoh, in preparation of the impending trouble, would hire someone discerning and wise to who will be able to lead the country through those difficult times coming in seven years so their homes would not foreclose, and their banks would not go belly up and the unemployment rate would not triple. Someone who in their wisdom and discernment would keep gas prices from racing to unbearable prices.

Today we are facing the Bailout Blues…a reactive (not preventative) plan to keep the country from going bankrupt. But if the Pharaoh’s of our day (Federal Government, Big Bank, Investment Firms, Oil Companies and Washington) had only listened to the Joseph’s who warned us years ago that if we keep going at the rate we’re going a fall would be inevitable, the bailout plan would not be necessary. If the Pharaoh’s of our day had hired men and women of discernment and not their friends and co-conspirators of greed and selfish gain there would be no need for a bailout plan.

Everywhere we look the insecure walls of corporate greed and prosperity are crumbling, and those hardest hit will be the middle to low-income residents of our nation like those of ancient Egypt. If something doesn’t change soon the levees will break and the people of the lower ward will suffer the most…. y’all remember Katrina.

Now it’s not all bad…there is one thing we still can do! The text suggested in verse 33 that the Pharaoh look for one who is discerning and wise (it said nothing about years of experience in Washington, the two character traits were DISCERNING and WISE) to secure the nations future through the seven years of famine.

In November, we have the opportunity to hire (elect) such a one who is discerning and wise, who is able to help the nation recover from these turbulent economic times. He’s not whom everyone thought could win. And he certainly isn’t whom his opponents expected to get this far in the political race, but he is the one who’s shown Discernment & Wisdom. Now I don’t want to tell you who he is, since Pastors have to be careful about sharing our political choice as not to appear to “influence” the people…but let me tell you a quick story.

My 3 year-old niece was watching the news with us, and she was mesmerized by the television. She was laughing and cheering just like the people on TV, we turned to her and asked, “What is it you see?” She replied “OBAMA!!!” That was great!!

At any rate the story ends that Joseph the dream interpreter was the one hired to be in charge of Egypt and he led Egypt successfully through its years of famine. He was a farmer’s son, he had been treated as a slave and even spent some time in jail (read the book of Genesis), but he was the one with the DISCERNMENT and WISDOM the country needed. We need such a one to help bail us out of the Bailout Blues!!!

Peace!

Najuma Smith is a preacher, world traveler, writer, and proud parent. She currently serves as the full-time Sr. Pastor of St. James AME Church in Los Angeles. Unapologetically saved and full of purpose, she enjoys sharing words of encouragement with anyone who will listen, bringing a fresh look at life in light of the Word of God. Her collection of motivations and observations are exclusive to Urban Thought Collective. Visit her at www.myspace.com/revjuju.

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I’m back, and in this one short week, a lot has happened to me. I’ve seen a lot of things, heard some inspirational people talk, and observed hundreds of people starting their day. I wanna share something with you that we rarely acknowledge, and often take advantage of, but it made my day just a lil bit better.

My daily ritual is as follows: I get up at 6:00 AM and head to the Starbucks in Sherman Oaks, California. This is about a 35-minute commute, so depending on my mood, (and hunger) I’ve been known to purchase a Venti Caramel Frapuccino with light whip cream and an egg and black forest ham breakfast sandwich, while I wait on my work shift to begin at 9:00 AM in Studio City, California.

I have a good amount of time to myself before heading to work. I’m either on my laptop trying to get an internet connection, writing my book, zoning out to the lyrics and melody of Musiq Soulchild’s fourth album on my Ipod, or just simply observing the “breakfast club.” I get the chance to watch everyone from children to high school students to adults trying to get their boost for the day.

Everyone seems to be your “average Joe.” There are your average income adults who purchase coffee for themselves and the folks who pull up in Range Rovers and Mercedes Benz’s and purchase coffee for the whole company. Nevertheless, I sit and take note, and watch how people act and relate to each other while they stand in a line that’s always just about out the door.

My big surprise and shock is that you can get inspiration and hear the kindest words and conversations from the people you would never expect. For example, on Monday, a less-than-fortunate (I really don’t like the term ‘homeless’) man that wasn’t dressed too nice was going thru the garbage looking for recyclable bottles and cans right next to where I was posted up on the wall waiting for my ride to arrive. Sad to admit, but just like any average human, I paid him no mind and tried not to make eye contact with him for fear he would ask me for some spare change or something.

However, he said “excuse me” with dread, but he continued with his question anyway… “Did you see that game last night? The Lakers got cheated by those Celtics. Those refs couldn’t be any blinder, could they? And when Derek Fisher got fouled on the last shot, the refs didn’t call anything! I can’t wait ‘til they come home Tuesday. I just got tickets to the game!”

Of course, I was shocked; I certainly didn’t expect him to ask me about a basketball game! He began to tell me how he has a good job, but was off that day, and because ‘some people’ are so wasteful, that he comes behind them and makes a few extra bucks from their thrown away cans and bottles. I immediately gained respect for him, and I felt horrible on the inside for what I assumed about him just moments prior.

To this day, I strongly feel that God was testing me, to see if I had a meek and humble attitude about my fellow brother as he instructs us to do in the Bible. Or, maybe God was seeing if I would have an attitude of ‘giving and helping’ and play the “Good Samaritan” role, or turn my back on my own brother. The bible says that we should love our neighbor as ourselves. Do we? We all would like to believe that we would help anyone out in just about any circumstance, and that ‘if he thirsts, we shall give him drink,’ right? But how many of us really live by that scripture… really?

Well I can honestly say that from that experience, I have a different perspective of those who ‘appear’ to be less fortunate. For we know not what their story is. It reminded me that things aren’t always as they seem to be.

I have a challenge for you all. The next time you’re in a situation with someone who appears to be less than you, don’t turn your back, stereotype, or look down on them. Instead, lend a helping hand and make yourself available. You never know what’s behind those clothes… or better yet, who.

Who knew I would get a wonderful message like this over a harmless breakfast in Cali?

Torian Salery is a senior at Troy University in Alabama, studying Broadcast Journalism and Public Relations. He is interning at a black woman owned PR & marketing firm in Los Angeles. His observations on his summer experiences are exclusive to Urban Thought Collective.

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