"Imagine a small village next to a rushing river. One day, as the villagers are performing their daily duties, they hear the sound of crying. Horrified, they see a baby floating helplessly in the river. Some of the villagers immediately swim out to save the baby. They wrap him in warm blankets and give him food. The next day. the villagers rescue five more babies from the river. Day after day, they rescue more and more children from the river. They begin setting up stations to respond quickly to the disaster. One day, after yet more children are rescued from the raging river, a frustrated villager stands up and announces, "I am going upstream to find out who is putting these babies in the river, and I'm going to do something about it!"
"The villagers first — and necessary response of plucking helpless babies from the river, feeding them, and giving them shelter was charity. But they soon discovered that the problem was bigger; they began to realize that someone or something was putting these children there. They saw that their rescue efforts could go on indefinitely, but if they were to find the root of the problem and work to undo that perhaps they could prevent children from being tossed in the river in the first place." (Tracy Young, How Do I Make It Right? Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2010.)
Taking care of other people is our Biblical call. God engineered taking care of others into the depth of our being. That's why, when it's done right, it feels so satisfying. Let us love one another on a relational level. Let us help by appreciating the value that every created person can bring to a situation. Let us be exceptionally gracious. In all of our urgent work of loving our neighbor and meeting immediate needs let us not forget about our call to speak up for those who are oppressed.
Comments
Ken,
I agree relationships are critical. Especially when they extend to the level of recognizing gifts in one another and even confession, forgiveness and reconciliation. It is important to consider if we are doing what we can to offer everything in our power within these mutual relationships.
Here is another example of helping in holistic way: Many who are working in one on one relationships with people who are at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking spend a great amount of energy speaking to the governments of their countries. Governments who often turn a blind eye to this kind of activity. They also work to get permission from the government to provide preventive education in schools. They spend time raising funds to support themselves and pay for the resources to keep their education, discipleship and advocacy ministries going. As simple servants of a greater master they pray and they call on others to pray. They see the impact their work is making and train other church groups to join with them and multiply their cause.
Ken,
Thanks for the clarification question.
What I was picking up on is that it is 'all relational,' if by 'all relational,' we are referring to the kind of friendships where we truly help each other grow and flourish. These are relationships that are sustained over a long period of time, that include seeing value in each other and that give opportunities to help each other grow. In the case of injustice these relationships also include speaking out and seeking change on behalf of the friend who is oppressed.
While we have this conversation going I would love to hear more of your thoughts about people feeling like they don't matter to others or themselves.
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