"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled." Matthew 5:6
"for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’" Matthew 25:42-45
It's been a while, my friends! I have to admit, February was a very, long hard month for me. And yet, time was certainly fleeting! Every time I even thought about sitting down and blogging, something clamored for my attention. Hopefully I can work on getting back on track here, because I have so much to tell about, so much to share, and so many things on my mind. Today I wanted to talk about something that seems to be everywhere I look these days. Hunger.
And I literally mean everywhere! Abigail and I have been studying the life of Mother Theresa, and her compassion and care for those in poverty was beyond incredible. In addition to that, Zander and I have begun studying the life of George Muller, who also served the less fortunate in a mighty way. I've been posting in and discussing threads about food pantries and food banks on various forums as of late. Last night's sermon at church dove a bit into the subject of hunger, and we even sang the song Hungry during worship, now that I think about it. Different TV shows I watch have called attention to world hunger, and even the fiction book that I'm currently reading has a whole storyline devoted to hunger. It's on my mind. A lot.
Andy went back to work this week after a long lay-off period. It is only by the grace of God that we've made it through, (more on that another day, I promise!), and yet, while our meals may not have always been spectacular, one thing I can absolutely say is that we have never been hungry. Not like so many.
At Christmas time there was an image floating around the internet that showed a starving African child on one side, and an angry Christmas shopping mob on the other side, and asked the viewer to define necessity. It has stuck with me ever since I saw it, because my heart breaks SO MUCH for those who are hungry. I know I've posted about this a dozen times before, but I just feel like it's an essential time to try and do something, anything. I don't know what, but God must have it before me for a reason!
I've often had ideas about the ideal way to stock a food pantry or I've had ideas about teaching basic cooking to moms who truly don't know how. Lately those ideas have shifted to the thought of sponsoring a child through Compassion International, or making donations to Heifer International. The thing is, the ironic thing is, that all those things take finances. Something we don't have! Andy's back to work, yes, but it's going to be a few months before we even have anything that can be called extra income, as we have much catching up to do. So why on earth would God put these things before me that I can't do anything about?
Maybe it's to try and help me find the faith that He will provide. As I begin the planning and the planting for the garden, I have such grand plans this year. Every year I think about how wonderful it would be to have extra and be able to share it with those who need it. Maybe this will be the year that the abundance from the garden actually happens! And, oh, I so want to be able to help those who need help! I want to be able to give money to people when they say they are going to be working in orphanages. I want to be able to sow into various organizations that actually feed the hungry. I want to look into what it would take to make a big pot of chili or stew and take it to one of the homeless shelters in the area.
I don't think that God places these desires on my heart for nothing. So for now, what I choose to do is pray about it. And maybe He'll show me ways to start small. Maybe He'll show me something extra to put in my grocery cart that will really bless someone. Maybe He'll show me a particular region or area in the world that I should pray for. I have no idea. But what I do know is that there are way too many people in this world suffering from hunger. That should not be, and we as a church should begin to do something about it. Government has tried to help. Here in our own country there are programs that can help those who need it, such as the food stamp program. But it's not enough, and since Jesus actually told the church to take care of the hungry, I believe it should be our job to do so, not the government's job.
Feed the hungry. We can start small, maybe in our own backyard. And we can pray. It may not be much, but it's a start.
"For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness." Psalm 107:9
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