You Won't Change The World With Your Mouth!

As some of you know, my wife and I have been serving the homeless and the poor both here in the U.S. as well as globally for many years. We have been serving in a particular inner city ministry for nearly ten years giving out surplus baked goods, produce and canned food each Saturday morning. I remember a particular morning years ago when the folks from the neighborhood were outside railing against the Republicans in Washington. This morning they were particularly loud, agitated and very vocal about their displeasure, including cussing and name calling.  We were inside packing backs and sorting the items to give out while listening to the comments. One of the guys that serves with us each week looked around and then turned to me and said, “I wonder what they would think if they knew that everyone here packing these bags are Republicans.” 

I say this with some caveats. First- This is NOT a generalization that one political party is better at giving or serving than the other. Second- I am actually not a Republican. I do not have a party affiliation as I believe, unfortunately, that both political parties have become nothing more than clown shows. I do, however, lean right towards conservative values as I have first hand experience that many left leaning policies do not actually work. They may look good in concept and be a temporary help, however, long term they often cause deep rooted problems. There are unintended consequences that destroy the effectiveness of what seems to look like good policy. I have seen the damage of these policies first hand in the inner city. 

So back the story. Here we are helping to serve the poor and needy in the inner city while the folks that are benefiting are screaming and getting nasty. They are using their mouths to try to change things. We are trying to make a difference by actually doing something.

So you want to change the world? Then DO something! It’s not just the government or the rich people or the evil corporations responsibility to help out the poor and needy. It is YOUR responsibility.

In years past, we would take care of our family members when they fell on tough times. Now, we expect the government or someone else to do it. In the past we would bring that "down and out" family member into our homes and care for them until they could get back on their feet. We have become accustomed to "out of sight is out of mind"!

How much do you give to charitable organizations? So you think that only the "rich" should give to charity? We ALL have a responsibility to give. Give till it hurts. If your income qualifies you as poverty level in the U.S., you are still rich in comparison to nearly every other country in the world. 

The real change we need is a new social revolution in this country based on personal responsibility for ourselves and each other. We need folks to accept responsibility for their actions and their mistakes. We have become a country that consistently insulates people from the truth and shifts blame. Parents need to be responsible for the results of their poor parenting and lack of responsibility for their children. Bad decisions, not bad luck, puts people on the street. Families need to accept responsibility to take care of other family members. We need to shift the attitude from entitlement (blame) to assistance (responsibility). 

My message is to quit screaming and shouting down people that you don’t agree with and use this same energy to make a real difference in the world. DO something. Quit thinking that someone else should do it. You are surrounded by folks that are in need. Reach out and help. Donate your time AND your money. Get dirty. Get involved. Give till it hurts. Give without strings attached. Give to the least. Give to the unlovely. Give. Give. Give. This is how we will change the world.

Do what you can, with what you have, whenever you can. A simple philosophy to live by!