For the
past five years and a half years, our church has been actively involved in
projects that assist, come alongside and provide much needed help to a variety
of citizens in our community. This has
been rewarding and at times, very successful.
Many a servant has been able to step outside of their comfort zone,
realize a great sense of fulfillment, and invest not only their life, but a
fair amount of money into these altruistic ventures. As we look back on what has been accomplished,
I feel we can say, "...well done!"
However, as
of late, I am having a shift in my thinking when it comes to these types of
outreaches. Namely, albeit our heart and motives have been pure, I'm not real
sure we've actually helped those in need.
Yes, we've given a cup of cold water on a hot day, we've provided hotel
rooms for a weary soul and, we've put food in the belly of literally
thousands. And, we will continue to do
this; still, I wonder if there's a better approach, a more effective method...
a system, if you will, that will empower and equip those we help to facilitate
change and a future good for them.
Recently, I
tweeted on my Twitter account the following, "Generosity becomes toxic when we perpetuate a
spirit of kindness into the life of the broken without providing tools to
become healthy." I had a variety of
responses; responses from '... right on!' to, '... what?' My Facebook account had posts that said,
"I really need to ponder this one!"
And, "... that's a great idea when it comes to the helps
ministry."
You've heard the adage, "Don't give
someone fish, teach them how to fish!"
I've always liked this; however, I think we should take this further:
how about giving them a tackle box with the necessary ingredients to be
successful and self sufficient? To many
a time our heart and love for others supersedes a pragmatic, practical approach
to helping those in need. And, in the
long run, we create a dependency on the system rather than a sense of pride on
behalf of those being helped.
Robert
Lupton, an author out of Chicago, writes, "... when relief does not
transition to development in a timely way, compassion becomes toxic." I am coming to own the fact that if we cannot
provide tools to break a cycle of brokenness in the life of those hurting, all
we do is enhance that cycle of brokenness and destructive behavior.
I was
sharing my thoughts with my good buddy, retired cop Hannibal the other day over
lunch. We both have come to the
conclusion that we must, if we want to effectuate change, have an effective
systematic approach to provide care coupled with practical application to those
we assist. To many a time we've served,
invested time and energy into folks that simply want a hand out & could
care less about change; folks that, sad to say, have allowed their existence in
this cycle of hurt and brokenness to define them. Now, this might sound judgmental and mean -
at a first glance, I guess it does. But,
in all honesty, both Richard and I, & our plethora of servants in Morro Bay
would drop everything to help someone in need that truly wants a new start, a
new beginning.
Hannibal
calls my boss my 2,000 year old Rabbi. I like this and it's to His example that we
try and emulate at the church I serve at.
One day, Jesus was walking through a village and there was a man who had
been crippled for 38 years. As Jesus
walked by, he began to yell, "Master, heal me. Heal me!" Jesus responded with a statement that has
been ringing in my ears these past few months: he told the guy to, "...
pick up your mat and walk!" In
other words, the principle back then is the same principle today: take
ownership of your situation, and take that first step toward health. And, keep walking toward a newly found
freedom that life promises.
This is where
my heart is at these days. I don't have
all the answers, that's for sure. But I
do know that the way we do business has to change. Currently, we are in the process of
evaluating how we do our helps ministry and it is my hope that we can develop,
mentor and guide those caught in the cycle of brokenness. To provide means to win, to help break a
cycle of destruction and to facilitate change to a productive fulfilling
life... a life our Maker intended for us to live!
Thanks for
hearing me out. As you can tell, my
thoughts are being formulated and my paradigm for helps is changing. I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers
as we charge into the days ahead with the hope of effectuating change in the
lives of those we help.
