Where does helping begin? Somehow being Christian is almost synonymous to giving help. After all, the bible emphasises much on loving your neighbour- what better ways to express this love than helping them. Don't get me wrong- this is definitely not just an extrapolation of the motherhood statement to love all and hate none. The bible is quite explicit when it comes to helping- clothe the cold, feed the hungry, visit the sick.
So let me ask again? Where then does helping begin?
In the year of 2015, my second year into becoming a full-fledged self-sustaining working adult was also the second year when I experienced the tension of giving. One such tensions was the tension of competing needs: in a world so extensively connected and a hub like Singapore whereby you get access to information about the Syrian crisis, the plane crash, the earthquakes, the floods, the pandemics, the human trafficking, the wars, the refugee crisis; frankly, how do you help? William Wilberforce's impactful challenge to not turn a blind eye to the situation around us, while appealing and compelling, edges close to the side of impracticality and unreal. So granted, over the years the forerunners and our predecessors, in the name of efficiency and wisdom-sharing, have much to advise- the dummy's guide to choosing a worthy cause to help with.
Except that perhaps, over time many have missed the point. A "worthy cause" is the issue.
I am sponsoring a child whom I love dearly. I call him my son. My eyes glow each time I speak about him. In fact, I love to talk about him, the cause, the impact and the possibilities that entail with all these givings. And I reckon people like to hear about it too. They might have been inspired even. But that's about as far as "feeling good gets". Recently, I was sharing about this meaningful cause to a friend, who went as far as to express his interest to do likewise. That was until he also shared about his intent to ensure success. To quote his exact words, "if I were to give, I would want to ensure that the child is successful." Who wouldn't? Seriously, I want my child to become a vagabond (sarcasm added)! Following up with that, how many of us could beat our chest and say "I could". The reality of the matter is that none of us can ensure success- even for our own children who may live through their childhood under our close supervision, given the best education and preparation programs, they may not guarantee success still; much less in an environment much harsher than what we have been accustomed to.
That, is the problem. We make pre-requisites in the name of prudence, and we apply the concept of investments when we consider whether or not to give to a cause. We seem to forget that when God chose us, we were the least qualified to do His works, much less, worthy of His Son. Look again, and we see the likes of Peter, Paul, Matthew, James, John, David, Jonah, Rahab, Jacob, Moses, and yes even Judas Iscariot. These people had been chosen and used by God in varying degrees throughout the course of history, and God being all knowing included the least likely of candidates as part of His ace-team; even those who would ultimately fail Him- the likes of Judas and Gehazi, and to a lesser extent, Solomon.
That, is the beauty. God teaches us to look at possibilities instead of statistics; an empty vessel waiting to be filled instead of a broken vessel that can never be filled. Granted, limited resources, high demands, lack, are some of the very real challenges we face; and being prudent is perhaps justifiable in that light. Yet, we need to be mindful if we choose to track that course. Philippians 4:8 helps to frame out mind in a manner that is Christ-like and Christ-centred- think about all that is true, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Period. Everything else is worries uncalled for; serving only to cloud our purity and crowd out all that is good. Allowing the possibility to fail is where God would come through in His wholeness- when all else fail, in our weaknesses His strength is shown, and He deserves all the glory.
That, is the mandate given to us. To love, to care, to walk alongside is our part; to transform, to reciprocate, to grow is God's. In fact, the only mandate that has some sort of a string attached is when it comes to teaching- teach a child so that he will not turn to the left or right when he grows up (Proverbs 22:6). Therefore it is high time that we relook at our motives in all our good intent to obey God's commandment- what it means to deny ourselves and follow Him. I suggest, one of the areas that we ought to first deny ourselves is the tendency for us to assume saviour. Trust me, it feels good to be needed, and it definitely is addictive to feel important. The moment we drop these, we would be more willing to go low; go to their level and then perhaps, we would become more generous with our giving and less ready with our skepticism. There is value in the old wisdom of "putting ourselves in other people's shoes". These shoes fit better when we go low. The moment we drop these, things like disappointment would almost certainly mean very different things; because dropping these allows us to take up our right place to let God be God. Things like results and outcomes are God's portion, while we take up the straightforward part of serving, harvesting, and trusting in His promises.
Unconditional giving is inspired by love, and God is love.
No comments:
Post a Comment