Giving to help the poor and needy is one of the many ways God’s love can be seen in action. Both John and James make the point that an invisible God only becomes visible to the world when it sees love in action (see James 2:15-16, 1 Jn 3:17-18). Some people, however, struggle not so much with the fact of this command as the ‘how’ it can be put into action. It’s all too easy to see people as perpetually needy or to feel there is a difference between those whose poverty is self-inflicted through wrong lifestyles and those who are ‘undeservedly poor.’ Some claim that by giving money to the poor, we are simply, in fact, salving our consciences and perpetuating poverty, actually exacerbating the problem (‘if I give a homeless man money and he uses it for drugs, haven’t I actually made things worse, not better?’)
Poverty is a complex issue which will never be fully resolved in this world (even Jesus acknowledged the poor we will always have with us, Matt 26:11). It is inevitably tied to wrong choices and sinfulness, but that does not mean we should withhold compassion and support from those in need. There are many ways we can help people: the proverb says, ‘give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for life.’
Reeba’s tailoring programme in India attempts to do this with widows, teaching them how to sew and run a business for themselves and giving them a sewing machine at the end of the programme so that they have the means to fend for themselves in future. Our support of the Salvation Army food bank gives food to people in dire need, but so much more is also offered there: help with finding jobs, help in overcoming addiction, advice on how to handle debt and money, positive ways of using time (in volunteering, learning craft skills, gardening and so on) in order to give people an opportunity to see that God is interested in every aspect of our lives and to engage with the God who cares.
William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, said, ‘You cannot warm the hearts of people with God’s love if they have an empty stomach and cold feet.’ Christian churches are involved in soup kitchens, refuges for the homeless, helping prostitutes and slaves, providing medical help for the needy, helping those further afield in so many ways that is almost impossible to enumerate. Street pastors work in our towns and cities, seeking to bring help, prayer and practical support to those who may well be making wrong life choices through their addictions. Charities like World Vision, Tear Fund, Christian Aid, Compassion International and so on work tirelessly to help alleviate poverty, demonstrate love and compassion and offer practical support in so many different fields and countries. All such help is a visible demonstration of God’s love to people in need.
The writer to the Hebrews urges us not to let sin’s deceitfulness harden our hearts. (Heb 3:13) It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the needs all around us, to believe that amongst this ocean of need, what can we, as individuals, or even as a church really do? Loren Eiseley’s story is not twee or saccharine. It is a powerful reminder that we are all called on to do what we can and that every single one of us can make a difference.
“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.
He came closer still and called out “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?” The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”
“I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled wise man.
To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realise that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, “It made a difference for that one.”