An Unabashed Solicitation for Some of Your Money!

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, [bless those who curse you,] do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who [insult you and] persecute you, 45 that ye may be [the] sons of your Father who is in [the] heavens; for he makes his sun rise on evil and good, and sends rain on just and unjust.” Matt 5:44-48 (Darby)

We know who our enemies are.  And we know who our friends are.  We have an emotional attachment to them.  We like our friends and dislike our enemies.    Our enemies may evoke deeper emotions in us; fear, bitterness, even envy.  In either case, though, we “know” them.  And, unlike His contemporaries (and ours), Jesus didn’t teach believers to retaliate, to seek to harm our enemies.  This was, and I suggest still is, a revolutionary attitude.

But there is another attitude that believers must concern themselves with.  The response for them isn’t a matter of love or hated, it is more subtle.  It is known as “indifference.” 

Indifference is something we engage in when the problem is so overwhelming or the “numbers” are simply beyond our ability to imagine them.   And there is one more component to indifference; we don’t know the people involved.  We have no ties to them. We know they exist but they don’t “exist” in our daily lives, our “world.”  Their problems are, somehow, well, their problems, or their governments problems.  There is a disconnect between them and us.

As an example; we read about the mass starvation occurring in Africa today.  Millions of people are being displaced due to civil war and drought.  Tens of thousands are dying.   These people are neither friend or enemy to us.  They are nameless, faceless and far removed from our daily lives.  We read the stories, see the video on the nightly news but our minds tell us that we can’t “fix” this one because of the perplexity of the problem or the sheer, overwhelming, numbers of people involved.  This is when indifference makes her entrance into our psyche.  It is a disguised though.  Most of us simply can’t handle, emotionally, ignoring the needs, the life and death struggles of these people; so, instead of ignoring them, we tell ourselves there is nothing that we can do except pray for them.  Now, don’t misunderstand me on this; prayer is important but look at the words of the Master.  When our enemy needed food He didn’t tell us to pray for them; He told us to provide it.  If the enemy needed water, shelter, or whatever, He doesn’t tell us to pray for their needs He tells believers to supply it.  Of course there is a caveat in all of this; we need to be “able” to supply the need.  And this is exactly when indifference makes her entrance.  We know that we cannot possibly meet the needs of so many people.  Unlike the enemy whom we know, and who’s needs we know, we don’t know these people they are “news” items for the daily consumption.  So a disconnect occurs between us and “them.”

Another example comes to mind from recent headlines; it has to do with the people of Haiti.  Following a massive natural disaster the country and its people are, literally, destitute, beyond measure.  Haitians are relatively close to us in America.  But, they no longer occupy the headlines and, so, their plight continues with little relief in sight. 

But there is a way to fight back, to overcome indifference and to make a difference.  While we can’t solve all of the problems of the world, we can solve, perhaps, one small one.  We could give a few dollars to a world aid organization and feed a family for a day.  We could buy malaria protecting nets for children and protect them from the deadly mosquito carrying malaria.  There is “Smile Train”, an outreach that repairs cleft palates among children in third world countries. 

The other day Christine and I, together with Hope and the Wonder Boys, Nathan and James, went to our local shopping mall.  While there the girls wandered into a children’s store.  A short while later they emerged with a bag full of “flip flops.”  I asked Hope why so many flip flops?  She told me that the children in Haiti (the orphanage)  have nothing on their feet so she bought some for them.  Besides, she said, they are only $1.50 a pair.  And, she continued, we could go on line and buy more.  So we determined to go on line an buy 100 more pairs of them and ship them to the orphanage in Haiti.  Granted this is a small gesture but it sure beats indifference by a country mile!

Hope has been to Haiti recently.  She made contact with some local people who run the school in Haiti.  The children in the school are in need of supplies.  And they need a teacher.  In order to have a teacher they need to have the money to pay her.  So, Hope decided that would be another goal of Bringing Hope to Birthdays; raising enough funds to pay the teachers annual salary.  It isn’t a great deal of money but it is a great deal of love and concern.  And, it beats indifference.  We are still raising funds for Haiti ( we have raised enough for a teacher part time, for a year).  Hope plans to return to the Island early next year.  Our goal is to bring supplies for the children and the school together with enough money to pay a teachers salary for at least one year.  You can help by going to the ministry website ( http://thefishermensnet.com/) and click on the “outreach” button.  On that page you will find a large “Donate” button, it is a Paypal button.  I would remind you that all gifts are passed through to the recipient.  100% of the money donated is passed through nothing is taken for administrative costs or travel expenses, nothing.   Or you may write a check (make it payable to The Fishermen’s Net) and mail it to The Fishermen’s Net, 38925 De Portola, Temecula, CA 92592. 

I could go on, but I think you get the point; we may not be able to “fix” the world but we can overcome indifference and “fix” one small problem, meet one small need in someone’s life.  Perhaps your “problem” is in your neighborhood or you may want to help “fix” something in a third world country.  Just remember this;

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”  Matt 25:31-40 (KJV)

Hal

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