Would you be willing give up one of your luxuries in order to meet someone else’s basic need? This does not mean giving up something like running water or electricity, but instead, giving up something that would simply be nice to have or do, so that you could have the time and means to help meet the basic needs of another.
There are sixty million refugees worldwide. Many of these people have fled with only the things they could carry, and seek safety in countries that often label them a liability and a burden.
I believe Jesus Christ has an unconditional compassion for these people, who flee for their lives into a foreign country. Jesus was once after all, a refugee. As a boy he fled into Egypt, to escape the terrors of King Herod.
In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus tells how the righteous have fed and clothed him, and visited him in times of need. The righteous then ask when they had done these things. “And the King shall answer and say unto them . . ., Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40) What then would Jesus have us do for God’s suffering children?
He does not expect us to move a mountain with only a spoon, but he does expect us to cast in our two mites and do what good we can.
Allow me for a moment to leave the refugee crisis and tell you about one of my friends who lives here in America. Last Christmas she put together baskets for her less fortunate neighbors and delivered them with her children. If you were to see her tiny home, the water they haul to drink, or the wooden outhouse they use, you would think, isn’t she the one in need? Yet, she recognized her blessings and sought to serve those who were in greater need.
I sit at a computer in a heated apartment with working lights and not one, but two, bathrooms. My guess is that many of those reading this find themselves in very similar situations. Clean water, plenty of clothes, a refrigerator full of food, warm bedding- a life full of luxury.
How can we justify spending more money on clothes, eating out, movies and entertainment events, all the things we want and then say that we have nothing to give to those who lack basic necessities?
My challenge to all of my family, friends, and strangers who read this: Give up one of your luxuries to help meet someone else’s basic need.
Instead of browsing the internet or shopping mall for things you want, shop for needed items our brothers and sisters lack and donate them to a facility. Go without drinking soda, get a cheaper phone plan, give up cable, skip going to the movies, turn down your heat a little and donate the savings.
It doesn’t really matter whether you donate to help local refugees, a children’s hospital, the homeless, or even a needy family down the street. What matters is we recognize the blessings God has given us and in gratitude serve others. We are to be Christ’s hands here on earth, and going without a want to help meet a need is a simple and powerful way to start.
What luxury will you give up to help meet someone else’s need?