If you look at the flag counter at the side of this blog you will see that it gets read in many different places - and depending on where you are reading, and your particular context in that place - you may have a very different perspective on the issue of Global Poverty. Although statistics can be used to prove almost anything they can be a useful tool. On Sunday we looked at some statistics on global poverty. Statistics like the richest 20% of the world's population receive 75% of the world's income whilst the poorest 40% get only 5%. Like statistics that show that most, if not all of the people sat in our church on Sunday were probably in the top 5% in a global rich list. We are not a particularly wealthy church, a lot of people are really feeling the squeeze in the current economic climate, some people are concerned for their jobs - just an average church really, full of normal people... but about half the people in the world live on less than £1.30 a day; just over 1.1 billion people live on less than 65 pence a day...and in that context however poor and powerless we may feel, the global reality is that there are billions of people who have so much less.But how do we respond to such need? Often we do nothing. Sometimes we doing something, but have a nagging feeling that it wasn't enough. We text 'donate' to some cause or other in response to some disaster or other - sending £5 of aid shooting across the world, and then we get on with our evening meal within the comfort of our own home. Sometimes it just doesn't seem right.
However we practically respond as a Christian our motive needs to be love and compassion - not guilt, or because we feel we should etc. We respond because we want to. Jesus saw needs and felt compassion and then did something. And so if we are growing as a disciple we will want to respond out of love and compassion for those in need.
We also need to recognise that we can't do everything - we can't change the whole world, but we can make a real difference for one person or one community. Therefore I think we need to understand what the need is that God has put on our heart. Are you passionate about Fairtrade, or a primary school is Uganda, or a project for the blind in Brazil? Is Tearfund your thing? Or Christan Aid? Or BMS? But whatever it is I think we need to be passionate about that thing: that means giving, praying, raising awareness, writing to your MP, sometimes it even means going. But it must not be something that we forget about - a flash in the pan. We need to see it through to completion, whilst recognising that the person sat next to us in church might be passionate about something else and therefore can't give their time etc. to 'your cause'.
We also need to appreciate that we are only able to give out of what we have, and not out of what we don't have. If I had £1 million I could do a great deal of good - but I don't. But what about what I do have? And not just in terms of the money in my wallet. Can I use my interests and hobbies in a creative way to raise awareness or money?
Come back in a couple of days to read about the £7 challenge.
