Poverty and How You Can Help

There are many reasons there is poverty on this earth. Many governments oppress their people and steal them blind of their possessions. What about America? It was hard for me to comprehend that children in America go hungry even in my tiny town. I am not here to debate the reasons. God calls everyday citizens like me to participate in relieving the suffering around us. Let me be clear. At no point do I believe throwing money at people is the answer. To me, that is a perversion of what God called us to do, which is to minister, mentor, and disciple. Yes, the money will help, but with people like the ladies I serve, money only feeds their addictions.

I know many ministries have a platform for mentoring. They will help with food for a month, but after that, they require you to sit down with a counselor for budgeting education. I love this policy because having a bad month can happen to anyone. Budgeting is not taught in schools anymore, so teaching someone to be self-sufficient is a blessing.
I think when it comes to issues of poverty or addictions, people recoil back and think it is too overwhelming, so they do nothing. Do you know the simplest thing you could do for people is remember them in your prayers? When I say pray, I do not mean a glancing sentence of blessings. I mean to intercede on their behalf, seeking God to break the back of poverty in their life. Educate your children not only on how to minister with their hands but petitioning God.
I am going to hit an unpopular belief but please just consider it. When you go to a mission, ministries, or helping in some form, do not take pictures to promote yourself. You should always go out of your way to save someone’s dignity. You would want people to protect yours. You are not visiting the zoo; these are people in dire need. Take a picture of the building if you have to, but seriously, would you want your worse day memorialized? “I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and justice for the poor,” Psalm 140:12.

Photo by Nico Smit on Unsplash
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/.../hunger-relief-programs/

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L. Kathleen Cline

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