double shot - Mark's ReFLECTIONS on Poverty
2011 - A Year's Worth of Trouble
2011 will be looked back upon by many as being quite an unsettling year. This was literally the case for the residents of North Eastern Japan and Christchurch in NZ. Just as geological fault-lines cause fractures above the surface, often with catastrophic consequences, moral fault-lines have had equally devastating effects across the globe in the past 12 months.
For example, the famine in the Horn of Africa was caused not so much by climactic conditions as it was by greed and politics. In August last year it was cheaper to purchase corn in London than it was in East Africa. The cost of basic commodities had increased 30% in the 12 months prior to the famine. The obvious consequence being that those without money starved, 100's of 1000's were displaced as refugees and 10's of 1000's died needlessly. Human greed caused this calamity, not climate change.
We could say the same for the global economic crisis. While impoverished Africans were dying from starvation, the US government signed up for a further $14 Trillion dollars worth of debt in order to maintain the lifestyle to which they had grown accustomed. To put this in perspective, less than 0.01% of that cash injection would have been sufficient to end the Horn of Africa famine and yet it wasn't given. In my mind, that was an outrage.
Today it is the turn of Europe to hold out the begging bowl for financial assistance. Economists tell us that the only solution to the plight facing Greece, Italy and other fragile European economies is a significant cash injection. Have we not yet learnt that capitalism doesn't work if we are interested in creating a just global society? Perhaps that's the issue here, powerful economies have little interest in providing justice for the poor and needy. World economies are sustained by power at all costs, even at the expense of the voiceless and vanishing people in the developing world.
While there remains countries on this planet where driving a beamer, wearing gucci and feasting on fillet mignon are considered basic human rights, there will continue to be millions dying across the world needlessly for want of clean water, basic healthcare and one meal a day.
We cannot assume that in 2012 world economies will turn over a new leaf. But as individuals we can choose to live more simply so that others may simply live. It is not rocket science, it simply takes a little determination to forego some luxuries that we have previously accepted as a human right - attending concerts, buying labelled clothes, eating at reputable restaurants, etc - and instead choosing to invest into initiatives that seek to serve the poorest of the poor.
Buy the CD and forego the concert, shop at department stores instead of fashion boutiques, eat at home and save the restaurant bill. Then use the change to make a change!
Happy New Year. Cheers,
Mark
Have aTruly Satisfying Christmas
Just the other day I found out that in America $450 billion is spent on Christmas every year. That’s equivalent to an astonishing US$1500 for every man woman and child in the nation! Now, to put that in perspective, if just a tenth of that annual sum was reallocated to the poor it would be sufficient to ensure that every child in the developing world received a basic education.
From a biblical viewpoint we know that all things belong to God, we read in Ephesians 1v22 that all things have been placed under Jesus’ feet. The irony being, that at a time when the Christian world remembers the birth of Jesus - the rightful owner of all we have - most of us choose to spend lavishly on our own pleasures and appetites. I wonder what Jesus thinks of such extravagance by his followers?
I can’t help but think that Jesus would find such excessive spending offensive. It is not that He doesn’t want us to enjoy life, in fact he came to this Earth in order that we might experience life in all of its fullness. And we discover in 1 Tim 6v17 that we have been blessed materially so that life might be more enjoyable. However, the words immediately following that verse command us to be generous and willing to share what we have.
Here we discover that full and complete enjoyment of life is not found in ingratiating ourselves on the things that money can buy. Rather, we are most fulfilled and most satisfied in life when we are serving others with the resources that God has blessed us with.
This is the ultimate win win situation. When we pour out our resources for the benefit of others, not only have we been a blessing to those in need, we also discover a level of contentment and fulfillment that will not be realized by unwrapping presents and eating ham or turkey on Christmas Day.
So, let’s refocus this Christmas and look for opportunities to serve well those who are suffering greatly in the world.
Have a great Christmas,
Mark
TRIBUTES OF PRAISE ACTS OF COMPASSION
It is easy to view compassion based Christian ministry as being focused in on the plight of the poor and needy. After all, those who directly benefit from such efforts are those who have great needs due to the curse of poverty that has suffocated their lives, some for many generations. However, there is a far bigger picture that we should never lose sight of.
To benefit the lives of those who are impoverished is a worthwhile and virtuous investment alone. However, when it is a dutiful response from the heart of God toward the plight of His image-bearers, then our service takes on a completely different dimension.
Listen to these words from the book of Proverbs 14v31;
"He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God."
Here we discover the profound truth that the way we respond to the least of the people on this planet is a reflection on what we think of God. Oppressing the poor is tantamount to slapping God in the face, but showing kindness to the poor is a tribute that is worthy of His name.
I love that thought, because often when we think of paying homage to a King we imagine pomp and ceremony. It is the bow of the knee or curtsy in a regal pageant where one must adhere to strictly rehearsed protocol. But the picture we get in this verse of someone paying tribute to their King is raw, unrehearsed, often dirty and occasionally violent. It is a person bathing the sores of a neglected infant. Or someone giving a dignified last chapter of life to aged mentally ill homeless man. Or advocating justice for the voiceless and oppressed. Or rescuing child prostitutes from the hands of their heartless captors.
Whoever is kind to the needy honors God. May the worship directed toward our King extend beyond the walls of our sanctified auditoriums and cathedrals. May our tributes be expressed with our sleeves rolled up and our hands dirty. May our voices that praise the creator also shout justice for the oppressed.
Mark
An Investment Worthy of Our Lives
The greatest change-agent the world has ever known made a telling statement to his followers many years ago when he said, "You will always have the poor with you". At face value we could read those words with a sense of futility and defeat. It's as if Jesus is implying, we can't make poverty history, if that is the case then what's the use of even trying?
Well, how many reasons do you want?
· 25 000? The number of child deaths daily as a result of poverty.
· 250 million? The number of children between the ages of 5 and 14 engaged in child labor in the developing world.
· 2.6 billion? The number of people in the world who lack basic sanitation.
Just because a task is hard or even impossible to fulfill doesn't mean it is unworthy of our time and money. Imagine if we took that same attitude toward cancer. Just because cancer in many forms remains a terminal illness, does that mean we should give up treating the victims of cancer?
For me personally, I find poverty eradication a more manageable prospect if I can move beyond the curse affecting billions and look into the eyes of the individual victims of poverty. I cannot prevent 25 000 child deaths a day, nor can I provide education and funding to keep millions of kids out of the sweat shops of Asia, but I can help individuals like Anna and Lorenzo and Edna and Jemar prepare for a better future.
And as I serve these wonderful people well, I have the assurance of my leader Jesus, that whatever I do for Anna or Lorenzo or Edna or Jemar, I do for him. And so, in serving the poor I discover there is no greater occupation in life, no more dignified cause to pursue, and no more righteous an act to invest in than serving the poor and needy. How about you?
Mark