Poverty

Luke 6:21a Woe to you who are full, for you shall be hungry.

To find out what the children at the orphanage want to learn about, I broke them into groups and had them make a list in Khmer of all the things they would like to learn. One group used the opportunity to write down personal questions for me. One of their questions was, “are you full when you eat?” Sadly enough, I am. I have enough money to make a meal that will be nutritious and filling. (Thank you for all of you who have made that possible.) Are they? No!

Today after church all of us PAOC’ers went out for lunch. (The Marshall family has just arrived this week and so our group has almost tripled because they have children :p ) We split meals, because this restaurant gives large portions, and with only half of the meal I was stuffed by the time I was finished! Yet, while we were eating, the street children were watching us and asking for money. Here I am stuffing my face while they watched, begging us to let them polish our shoes for a dollar or to just give them money. Part of me wanted to turn a blind eye towards them, while the other half of me was breaking. But at the same time, when does it stop? At the market they will follow you around saying “money money.” They sit outside the doors to the mall and in the parks and say “money money.”

My question lately is how should I be responding to the poverty around me?! It is everywhere and yet I am only seeing a small sliver of the poverty in this country. If I give money to the beggers am I not just encouraging begging, encouraging the mothers to dope their children to evoke pity to get money, and encouraging the brokers who send out kids to beg for them? But at the same time Jesus said in Luke 6:30 “ Give to everyone who comes with a request, and if a man takes away your property, make no attempt to get it back again.”

How do you afford to give to everyone who asks? How do you give and encourage the behaviour? I would rather give to those who don’t ask because I know they need it. For example, the children at the orphanage have never asked me for money... and I want to do everything in my power make their dreams come true. When you give to one beggar the others swarm you and expect some too. Or is this just my lack of faith?!

Levitical law:
Deu 15:7 If in any of your towns in the land which the Lord your God is giving you, there is a poor man, one of your countrymen, do not let your heart be hard or your hand shut to him;
Deu 15:11b and so I give orders to you, Let your hand be open to your countrymen, to those who are poor and in need in your land.

New Testament:
Mat 25:43 I was wandering, and you took me not in; without clothing, and you gave me no clothing; ill, and in prison, and you came not to me.
Mat 25:44 Then will they make answer, saying, Lord, when did we see you in need of food or drink, or wandering, or without clothing, or ill, or in prison, and did not take care of you?
Mat 25:45 Then will he make answer to them, saying, Truly I say to you, Because you did it not to the least of these, you did it not to me.

Please pray for wisdom as I face poverty on a daily basis. Please pray that I would be obedient and do whatever my Father asks me to do.

Luke 6:21a Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled.