A Call to Love

 The needs are great. It is estimated that over 700 million people don’t have enough food everyday. Over one billion people have inadequate access to water. Worldwide, 2.2 million children die every year because they are not immunized, and 1.4 million die each year from lack of adequate sanitation and access to safe drinking water. Malaria is responsible for killing one million people each year. Forty million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and 15 million children are orphaned due to this disease.¹

These statistics are enough to make us angry, they are enough to make us upset, but are they enough to make us act? Oftentimes, that answer is no. But why?

For many of us, we are overwhelmed by the problems. We know that we cannot even begin to fix or solve the problems relating to poverty. We can’t feed 700 million people every day, and we can’t adopt 15 million children. We make ourselves think that we cannot do anything to solve these problems.

But the reality is that if you think that way, the Devil has you exactly where he wants you.

Let’s look at the life of Jesus. Jesus healed hundreds, if not thousands, of people when he was on earth, but they eventually died. Jesus fed the 5,000, but they were hungry the next day. And yet, He still did it. Why? Because His mission was to show His children His love for them.

I can’t feed all the hungry people in Puerto Barrios, not to mention all of Guatemala, or the entire world. Even if I do feed them one meal, they are going to be hungry again soon. In the past, I, at times, found myself feeling defeated and questioning why I even try. But then it hit me. My mission is not to solve all their problems, but point them in the direction of the One that can. My mission is to show them His love.

Jesus healed and fed people in order to show them His love. Of course it hurts Him to see His children in pain and hungry, but what hurts Him even more is knowing that they will spend eternity apart from Him.

God doesn’t call us to solve world poverty, but He does call us to love. That may lead to cooking a meal for a family that you know who is in need, that may lead you to call a friend who you know is having a difficult time, or that may lead you to donating to a non-profit organization.  Whatever it is, don’t be defeated or overwhelmed by the problem, but choose instead to love.

¹http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats