It's actually kinda hard for me to write about this as it's not as fresh in my memory as it was when I was actually in Hong Kong. And nowadays, I've actually got other things on my mind that I would rather post, but here goes....maybe it'll mean something to someone.
Volume 3: Poverty
So from my last posts, you already know droppin' huge amounts of dough on all the pretty things I like to buy. Hong Kong was one of the most seductive places I've ever been, meaning that it's probably not uncommon to spend the way I spent there. Well at least it seemed like it to me. Let's just say they have a higher standard of appearances, and money flaunting techniques that we don't have in Canada. I'm not saying we don't have any at all, but not as much as Hong Kong. "Cash rules everything around me, dolla dolla bill y'all" would seem appropriate to describe their attitude there. So some of the richest people I've ever seen were in Hong Kong, but at the same time, the poor there are ...seriously poor! After seeing the kinda poverty in Hong Kong and Mainland China, I actually don't wanna ever give money to the homeless in Canada again. I mean, the homeless in Canada CHOOSE to be homeless (enlighten me if I'm wrong on this). Because I find it absurd that someone living under such high government protection, and equity balanced focus can actually be without a job or not have enough from wellfare to at least live indoors. Point is, the homeless in HK/China are in a lot of trouble.
So how can I help them? One of the things I don't fully understand is how Jesus teaches us to give to the poor, and help the widowed etc. It feels like the right thing to do, but does it really even help these people? I guess it reflects the love of Christ through us, but is that sufficient? I kinda feel like being charitable actually helps myself more than the needy. Why? 'Cause I'm learning...they however are not any better off if they still don't accept the gospel. So how do we help the needy? And why do we make them out as needing Christ more than the people we see around us everyday? Are they easier to convert to Christ? Do they require more love 'cause they don't have the World's blanket to keep them warm? I don't think they "deserve" salvation any more than any other human being, yet I wanna help them and don't know how.
In our society, we kinda just mind our own. I barely talk to my friends about Christ, how do I share with the homeless? How do we make somebody understand something that can't be expressed in words? Or do I do what I can and leave it up to God? Love by giving money?? hahaha iunno.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Jesus said, when I was naked you clothed me, when i was hungry u fed me, when i was homeless you invite me in...if you did this to the littlest of my brothers you have done it unto me. I always wanna be the one that welcomed God without knowing it and get a huge surprise at the end, like Abraham when he played host to God, so cool, in the end we dont know what outcome would result in us giving to the poor, God has his plans for that, but we are called to give and feed and cloth them. In economic terms I understand its pretty useless since its a short run solution and doesnt lead to anything all that amazing, but we got a God who created the rules of econ and he can also bend it, who says the dollar bill you dropped with someone diddnt have a major impact on their life? who says the meal u gave someone didnt just save them from starvation and brought them back to life? in the end, we dont know what outcome would result in our actions, so we need to do it all the more diligently in our generousity, that we may not be caught off guard and miss an opportunity to feed, cloth or shelter Christ himself.
i saw some guy at the bus station today begging (which isn't allowed) some how he's stranded in TO and trying to get back home. At first i pasted him. Then i went back with some money and a gospel tract. As i left i had this feeling like it wasn't enough. I went back and said ever so awkwardly, "Hi again, i just wanted to encourage you. God loves you. I'm sure you'll find your way home." I felt like that was all i had and it didn't mean much. That was all i had at the time and so i left and kept praying for him. We don't have solutions to peoples problems necessarily, we have what we have and we give that.
btw, reminiscing about the poor in asia doesn't help anyone. Giving to the poor (whatever way you want to give) does help people. Not everyone chooses to be homeless. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. This is a great evil, no?
love and let God sort out the rest.
Post a Comment