Do What You Can, Where You Can
He is the one who keeps every promise forever, who gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners. The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts the burdens of those bent beneath their loads. The LORD loves the righteous. The LORD protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. -- Psalm 146:6b-9 (NLT)
A new report says that almost one in six Americans now live in poverty. The finger pointing will now commence. Who’s to blame? The Democrats or Republicans? President Obama? The previous president?
I wonder what it would take to for us to look in the mirror instead of casting blame. I wonder what would happen if we hit our knees in prayer instead of expecting the government to do something about poverty. I wonder what would happen if we looked in the mirror and asked ourselves what we could do rather than waiting for someone else step up and take action.
Many years ago a co-worker came in the office and announced that she expected to be very unpopular that day. The reason? She’s bought a homeless man breakfast. She let the tailgate down on her small truck and left the man sitting there while he ate his breakfast. In the company parking lot. For everyone to see as they walked toward the building to work.
She could have refused the man’s request for food. He wasn’t her problem. Besides, what difference did one meal make? It didn’t solve the issue of what, or whether, he would eat lunch or dinner. It didn’t solve the problem of where he would use the bathroom, shower, or sleep that night. It didn’t address the long-term issues of job, housing and transportation.
Some people wouldn’t have even acknowledged the man. They would have walked right on by, their noses in the air and their judgment clearly visible. They would have blamed him for his situation -- without even asking to hear his story. Maybe he did make bad decisions. Maybe he was the victim of job layoffs or illness. It wouldn’t have mattered. Their hard hearts would have insisted that he get a job and help himself. Let’s see: No place to shower and clean up. No address. No phone number. Yeah. The one person every employer can’t wait to hire.
This co-worker didn’t solve the problem of homelessness. She simply did what she could, where she was. One meal for one man.
What has God called you to do today? Can you buy someone a meal or take a bag of groceries to the local food bank? Have you encouraged someone going through a tough time? Have you given away excess clothing to the needy? Did you buy a tank of gas for someone struggling to make ends meet?
We all encounter people each day who need our help. Some of them are obvious, like the homeless man my co-worker fed. Others aren’t so noticeable but they are there. Open your eyes. Look around and see, really see, other people. Ask God to guide you. Then listen to what He says. All of us have opportunities and the responsibility to help others.
Jesus never turned someone away hungry. He didn’t judge those in hard circumstances because of past mistakes. He looked at people who were hurting and really saw them. If we are to be like Jesus, how can we do any less? How can you do
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