Will We Share?

Our last post (Extreme Poverty, Income Inequality, and the 1%) pointed out that

• our lives much more closely resemble the lives of “the 1%”  than the lives of those who suffer the harsh realities of extreme poverty ---
• our Lord counts compassionate generosity shown to the least and the last as love shown to Himself. 

Here’s the rest of the story...  

First, take a moment to digest those two statements –
the ramifications are profound.

OK – so what do we DO with this perspective?

One straightforward answer can be summarized
with a word we learned in kindergarten:  Sharing.

Imagine that you have been stranded, with a handful of others on a desert island.***   For some reason, you – and only you – happen to have a trunk full of bottled water, granola bars, and first aid supplies.  Would you share with your companions?  Of course you would!

Scripture puts the moral imperative this way:  “The one who has two tunics should share with him who has none; the one with food should do the same.”  [Luke 3:11]

So, why don’t we?   Certainly, our awareness of, access to, and ability to help the world’s poorest has never been greater.  And it takes so little, by our standards, to help.  For many of us, it’s a question of uncertainty:  the meaningfulness of well-intended donations is called into question by reports of ineffective and outdated approaches, waste, fraud, and corruption – causing many to ask the question, “Can my gifts really make any lasting difference?”

That’s a legitimate question, and it deserves a thoughtful answer.
Here's a collection of free resources that address these concerns….

• Trends in Effective Giving -- this brief article highlights current issues in giving with effectiveness in mind.
• Helping Well -- this in-depth article takes a closer look at how the very best organizations approach the problem of extreme poverty.
• Sources and Criteria -- explains how we went about choosing the Christian charities for our Top Organizations list.
• Top Organizations -- a listing, with reviews, of Christian humanitarian organizations known for their effectiveness in helping the world’s poorest people work their way towards self-sufficiency.

We hope that these resources will help you to take action in sharing, just a tiny bit, with the world’s least and last.  The truth is that your gifts can indeed make a lasting difference.  And that matters.

Emmanuel, God with us….  may this awesome reality open our hearts and mark us as His this holiday season and always.