God gives us some responsibilities while we live on
this earth. The three items listed above in the graphic are the main
categories. We have all been given the duty of the great commission, too: Sharing
the Gospel, the Good News of Christ, is a part of that commission.
God also gives everyone spiritual
gifts. All gifts are different and are used independently but for the whole cause
and growth of the Church.
Taking care of the Earth has been
challenging, and we have mostly failed that assignment. We see many pictures
from across the globe of the damage that we, as humans, have caused. However,
some people are gifted and have been given the mission, by God, to take care of
the earth! They become scientists, they learn how to conserve the soil, save
forests, and learn and teach about so many other items that are vital to
helping the earth survive. Some ask why even try. The earth will be destroyed
anyway, according to the Bible. Why, you ask? Because God told us to. And we
are to do our best to the end.
I have met many people with a passion
for helping animals. They are gifted and have been given this mission by God.
Some do horse rescues, and others rescue dogs and cats. Many are advocates for whales
and sea life. Others work hard not to let a species go extinct. Animals are
important to the world. God thought so, and he gave man oversight of them.
Everyone is commanded to love all
people, and some take on causes to help those in need. They work in NGOs and
other agencies and organizations to help make a difference one life at a time.
Others volunteer their time to help other humans. Some have professions like
teachers, nurses, firefighters, and police. The list of people who help goes on
and on.
We all have gifts, passions, and
missions that God gives us. Not one is above the other or more important than
the other. We are to do what God has purposed us for. I’ve seen it many times, finger-pointing
because someone finds something to support that another thinks is fruitless,
costly, or a waste of time. The finger-pointers have no idea what the other
person has been instructed to do by God, and it’s no one's business.
Regardless of which category
listed above you fall in, God has given you a platform to share the gospel with
others, even if you only show God’s love and light to others through your
works, without a word said. Carry out His instructions and ignore the
finger-pointers.
Some help within their local
communities, and others work to help across our nation. Some help overseas and
will send money to causes or travel to a location to help. One of my friends is
currently in Ukraine helping and has been there for three years as a Disaster
Response/Humanitarian and has worked with the Pentagon, Red Cross, FEEMA, US
Capital, and many others, tending to people in need. Her updates are incredibly
hard to read with all the devastation that is going on there. She’s one of
those people who is retired and still going.
Here's the bottom line. If we do
not cry for what breaks Jesus’ heart, then our hearts have become hardened. If
seeing the earth die doesn’t make us cry, or seeing a dog mistreated and beaten
doesn’t make us cry, and if the cruelty we see imposed on innocent people and
children through trafficking or war or other atrocities doesn’t make us cry, we
are doomed.
You see, there is no us and them.
We are all in this sandbox together, and we must work together to bring about
change for the better. We must try to bring peace. We must care for the things
that God has put us in charge of. Some say, why try? Because God told us to,
and we are to do our best until the end.
My father was a public servant in
the field of law enforcement. He was a Godly man and set great examples for how
we are to care. I have been given the gift to help others, to stand up for the
underdog, and help the widowed, orphaned, the poor and the homeless. I have
counted it as a blessing, though not always easy work, to help. To care.
I held a fundraiser for Ukraine
at my business when the war broke out. We raised money for Doctors Without
Borders as they were running out of medical supplies for Ukraine very quickly.
I cried for the death and destruction and the kidnapping of children and the
murder and rape of women. It was our little bit to do, safely, stateside. Why?
Because God told me to. My heart was open, and I responded.
I know I will never be able to go
overseas to do mission work. Years ago, an opportunity came up with AmeriCorps,
which is the stateside Peace Corps, and I jumped on it. I took a two-year
contract to help with the Government’s Refugee Resettlement Program. The first
year of the contract was designated for developing a volunteer program and
getting it off the ground, and the second year of the contract was to develop
its funding programs.
That wasn’t all that I did. Our
office resettled people from at least five countries who came from overseas.
The mission field came to me. I count it as a blessing to understand the plight
of the refugees. I heard their stories and listened to their horror and
nightmares. One case file was so horrific
that I never read it. I was told some of it and didn’t need to know anymore. I
saw the scars on their skin from being macheted, then there were the kind of scars
that were kept most secret.
This program was the safest
program that our government had. Those in the program had been vetted for two
years and had met all the criteria to be resettled to another country. Catholic
Charities, Lutheran Social Services, & The Episcopal Church have offices across
our country to help with the resettlement program. The IRC, which was founded during World War II
by Albert Einstein, is the largest resettlement group that operates across the
globe.
Refugees didn’t get to pick what
country they would go to. I thought they were brave because they didn’t know
where they were going, what language they might need to learn, a new culture, and
many other unknown things. Why? Because they were being persecuted for their
religious or political beliefs, and it was unsafe in their home of origin.
I had someone walk up to me at my
church and ask me how I could call myself a Christian and work in refugee
resettlement. I looked at him and asked how I could call myself a Christian and
not.
Let’s not forget that Mary,
Joseph, and Jesus were refugees! Most refugees I worked with were Christians,
Brothers and Sisters in Christ. I also
worked with other religions and had great conversations as I gained an understanding
of some of the belief systems that are different from my own. No judgments, just
great conversations. Why? Because I cared. I cried for them and all that they
had suffered.
One day, I sat down with one of
the refugees visiting our office, as I could tell he needed to tell me
something. That something was his story. I was moved. When he finished, he told
me, “God is still good!” and said it with a smile. I was in awe of his trust and faith in God
with all he had experienced.
There is no they and them.
It’s easy to say that when you’re not sitting in front of them. Because they
and them are over there, not in your circle, not your problem. You don’t
have to look at their faces to see the despair and the lost hope in their eyes.
We all know what happens when
there is a bully in the sandbox who hogs all the toys, throws sand in faces,
and wants to keep it all for themselves. They end up standing all alone in the
sandbox. No friends, no allies, no one comes when they skin their knees.
Don’t become that person. God
meets our needs and blesses us beyond measure. Everything we own and have comes
from him. With the gifts he gives us, things, money, and giftedness, we are to use
them to help others. God always provides. Don’t let God’s light go out because
you think someone is getting too much help, too much aid, too much money, or is
undeserving of the help. That is none of our business; that’s God’s business. It
seems there will never be enough to go around for everyone to receive help, but
we need to do our part and let God provide and do the rest.
Help the Church do its part.
These days, we are watching a movement within the Church to step up and do what
they have allowed the government to do for decades. God did not instruct any
government to do the work of the Church. But aren’t we glad they have filled in
the gap, locally and globally, by providing aid during the Church’s hiatus?
The Church has recognized its downfall,
and, in many cases, we see a shift as churches work to reassess their missions
and budgets to provide for those in need. Many denominations have done a
wonderful job organizing and providing aid for many, locally and globally.
Storing up your treasures in
Heaven, not in this world, means helping others, doing for, and caring for them. If needed, use ‘what makes Jesus cry’ as your motivator. Why should we
care? Because God asked us to.
Proverbs 19:17 AMPC |He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and that which he has givenHe will repay to him.[Prov. 28:27; Eccl. 11:1; Matt. 10:42; 25:40; II Cor. 9:6-8; Heb. 6:10.]
Matthew 25:40
Jesus says that whatever we do for the least of his brothers and sisters,
we do for him.
Books: “It Is What It Is…But It Wasn’t A Tragedy” | “Making Wise Choices…the most important life skill to master”
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