What About The Hungry? Part 1.

January 15th:
Jesus said…
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

As followers of Jesus, we have been trying to take Him at his word. On the surface, it sounds like it shouldn’t be that hard. Those who have the money and the time to serve give a little of what they’ve been blessed with to care for those who are struggling. The hungry get fed and the homeless are provided with shelter. Piece of cake (no pun intended.) After all, it’s not that big of a sacrifice. If everyone would set aside a little (say 10%) of what they have been blessed with there should be plenty enough to go around.

But what happens if all of us get over extended? What happens if we get caught up trying to keep up with all the many things we’ve filled our own lives with? What happens if we don’t recognize how much we have been blessed? Then that little bit of time and that little bit of money never come. The hungry remain hungry. The homeless never find even a room of their own.

One of the problems that many of us have (we who have been so blessed) is that we don’t see the really needy. Our lives never take us to those places where the poor hang out. What that means is that it is easy for us to forget that the problem even exists. It’s easy for us to drop a quarter in the Salvation Army kettle and think that we have made a difference.

I might conclude this part of the discussion by saying, “something has to change” and (at least part of) that “something” is us. We have to open our eyes to see what is really happening in our world. We need a new heart for those who have been less blessed. We need a new willingness to sacrifice a little of what we have been given to make a difference in somebody else’s life. The Good News is that Jesus is in the “new eyes” and “new heart” business. He is the one who makes giving more of a privilege than a sacrifice. Let Jesus show you the way.

p.s. If you would like to help with the earthquake relief in Haiti, you can donate through the United Methodist Church at umc.org. 100% of what you contribute will go to the relief effort.