I have wanted to write a post on poverty for a while. Having seen Honduras during and after a hurricane, small Andean villages in Ecuador, fishing villages in Indonesia, country life in China, village life in India and other countries, I feel I am able to knowledgeably comment on the subject.
In other countries, children have no food because there is no money. There is nothing to sell to raise more. There is no excess. Here, children don't get supper because the parents are paying for other things like cable tv, cars, cigarettes, etc. In other countries children often have two or three sets of clothing, here I've been amazed at how many shoes, coats, and clothes kids have. (to be fair, it is much easier to get hand me downs here!!) In other countries to receive help or aide because you are poor is rare. In America it is the norm. (it does show that there are a lot of generous people here in America!!) In other countries it is often impossible to work hard and pull yourself out of poverty--a lot of times this is due to lack of education. Although it is getting much harder, the American dream is still a possibility!
It has been difficult not to compare the poverty of the world--to the poverty of Americans and American immigrants. There really is no comparison! It seems poverty is related to where you're located.
What God has been reminding me of is that it is not the financial state of the person that is important--it's the state of their soul. He loves the Honduran living in a shack just the same as the Honduran living right here in Indianapolis. I've been focusing too much on the WRONG thing. We are to help the poor no matter where they are. (As if living in a shack makes one more worthy of being helped!) I'm so thankful that Shepherd's focus is to help these children and their families not only come out of poverty and contribute to society, but also to come into relationship with a loving God!
My job is not to deem someone worthy of physical help, but to do something...anything that shows God's love and heart for the people I'm working for.
In other countries, children have no food because there is no money. There is nothing to sell to raise more. There is no excess. Here, children don't get supper because the parents are paying for other things like cable tv, cars, cigarettes, etc. In other countries children often have two or three sets of clothing, here I've been amazed at how many shoes, coats, and clothes kids have. (to be fair, it is much easier to get hand me downs here!!) In other countries to receive help or aide because you are poor is rare. In America it is the norm. (it does show that there are a lot of generous people here in America!!) In other countries it is often impossible to work hard and pull yourself out of poverty--a lot of times this is due to lack of education. Although it is getting much harder, the American dream is still a possibility!
It has been difficult not to compare the poverty of the world--to the poverty of Americans and American immigrants. There really is no comparison! It seems poverty is related to where you're located.
What God has been reminding me of is that it is not the financial state of the person that is important--it's the state of their soul. He loves the Honduran living in a shack just the same as the Honduran living right here in Indianapolis. I've been focusing too much on the WRONG thing. We are to help the poor no matter where they are. (As if living in a shack makes one more worthy of being helped!) I'm so thankful that Shepherd's focus is to help these children and their families not only come out of poverty and contribute to society, but also to come into relationship with a loving God!
My job is not to deem someone worthy of physical help, but to do something...anything that shows God's love and heart for the people I'm working for.
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