When I was in the Philippines, I would normally drop a coin
into the old tin can of a beggar. I would always do that especially when I pass by
the short bridge going to the St. Rosary Church in Angeles City. But there were times
that I didn’t give because of not having pennies in my pocket. I would never
give a bill to them because I feel that it’s too big for them to have it. I had
lived that kind of generosity to the poor along the streets.
Well, I had just adopted that doing in my community. My friends
and relatives would always tell me that giving small money is enough for them
to survive a day. We would even compute the money he can get in a day
considering the number of people in the place. We would even make some jokes
that when we are broke, we can dress up and be like them to earn some money.
What is inside the money that makes it hard to give it up for the poor?
When I went to
Indonesia, my perspective about giving has changed. In here, I was able to see
more people suffering from poverty. Most people I see are homeless and they
depend their survival on the people passing them by.
The bible tells us to be of great help to them. We are not
talking about the selfish generosity which I used to do before back in the
Philippines. They literally need more than pennies. They need home,food,clothing
and education to make them live like a normal person does. The problem is we
were so soaked up to the love of the world. We have indulged ourselves with
selfish ambitions.
We can do something more. I was inspired by some people who have traveled abroad and gave up everything (possessions) for the poor they don't even know.
We can also do what they do.
Many people especially our close friends, relatives or even our own family may object about such action for they might think it's too much to give up. They may also think that we have gone crazy but we must tell ourselves that even God is crazy about us.
Indeed, God is crazy because of his love for us. He is crazy to each and everyone of us that He gave his own Son in order to save us from darkness. Who are we to be loved that way that He chose His Son to suffer the cross to save us from death?
How big is it to help the poor in compare to His love for us (as sinners)?
Even a tiny dot will be barely visible on a clean white piece of paper.
photo credit: SpaceShoe [Learning to live with the crisis] via photo pin cc
photo credit: Kenski1970 via photo pin cc
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