"Whoever oppresses the poor
shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God."
Proverbs 14:31
It's never my intention to insult God or show contempt for Him. In fact, my heart is bent on honoring Him in all I do. Still, I must be careful; it's easy for me to tread on dangerous ground.
Oppression. There is so much suffering in this world, it can be overwhelming and I often feel helpless against it. But when I'm faced with the poor or the needy or the hurting, it's easy to place them in categories. Some are suffering due to no fault of their own but others are there because of their own foolish choices. It could be laziness, an attitude of entitlement, or the way they were brought up that causes them to be stuck in poverty, homelessness, or a myriad of other hopeless situations.
So I tend to leave them alone, expecting them to help themselves out of the mess they are in. While it is true you can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped, it is not necessary to turn cold-hearted against them. But its so easy to become indifferent, especially if I flippantly tell myself "the poor will always be with us," using Jesus' words to let myself off the hook (Mark 14:7). It seems it's not so much the results of my efforts that matters, but the desire to offer a hand up by reaching out that counts.
Its easy for me to unintentionally oppress the poor when I refuse to help a certain class of people.
Exploitation. "We work at the soup kitchen every Thanksgiving morning, then return home to enjoy our meal together." The woman who said this beamed with pride at her commitment to helping the poor in such a noble way. I cringed at her attitude, recognizing in me the same desire to be recognized for the things I do to relieve the suffering of the poor.
The reason I do things is more important than what I do. If I give my time and money to charity with the expectation that I'll gain a feeling of goodwill and accomplishment, hopefully receiving a pat on the back for my "selflessness," I'm driven by selfish motivations. If, however, I give out of love for Jesus, because He inspires me to help those in need with no ulterior motive, then I'm driven by Jesus Himself. One gives me the glory, the other makes God look good.
Its easy for me to unintentionally exploit the poor by helping in order to get something out of it for myself.
Apathy. My life is busy; filled with good things to do, activities to take part in, people to love. I'm so caught up with my circle of influence, my comfort zone, my territory of operation, I don't pay attention to the suffering that takes place across the railroad tracks where children go to bed hungry, crying themselves to sleep and single mothers desperately try to make ends meet. I don't try to ignore their plight, but my own frantic lifestyle discourages any kind of regard.
If I don't have time for kindness and mercy toward those in need, my life is way too busy. God never intended for me to be stretched so thinly that there's no time to sit at His feet and soak in His love for me. When I allow this necessary luxury, I'll find compassion for others will come naturally. If I rarely connect with Him, benevolence and generosity will be hard to come by (John 15:5).
Its easy for me to unintentionally be cold-hearted toward the poor by cultivating a spirit of apathy as I run through life at top speed.
I'm devoted to loving God and others, but I often have a funny way of showing it. I end up insulting God when I inadvertently oppress and exploit those less fortunate, becoming apathetic toward the poor. If I truly want to praise God with my life, I will show kindness and mercy to those in need, not only to those whom I deem as deserving or in order to feel good about myself, but out of my love for Jesus. This is how to honor God.
As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to give to those who don't deserve, remembering that He does the same with me.
How am I stingy?
When do I turn a blind-eye to the suffering around me?
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