Essay #2: Self-Centered Society
The second: written on 9~28~2004
Far too often, Americans today hang their heads when they hear this command from Jesus. Even worse, often we feel no such shame. Over the last several decades, and even centuries, Westerners have struggled with the idea of the complete surrender of personal affluence and “success.” Unfortunately, Christians have not been a significant exception to this rule.
There can be many reasons for this brand of selfishness, but I feel that the primary cause is that we have simply become comfortable with our situation. Certainly, there are many among us who struggle to “make ends meet,” but the standard even for those is often a steady three meals a day. I hardly need to point out that there are millions throughout the rest of the world who can barely scrape out one meal of spoiled or rejected bits of food. We claim that we have no money to spare, while ads on television daily tell us, “For the price of your daily coffee, you could support a needy child.” These cries for help from compassionate groups often fall on ears deafened by our culture’s distant but pervading pseudo-pity on the unfortunate.
How easily we seem to have forgotten Christ’s words to the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25. To those blessed he said, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:35-36 NIV) To those cursed, however, he said, “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.” (Matthew 25:42-43) Who can we accuse of being those goats if not ourselves? On the cross, all Christ had was His life, but even that was freely given for our sake. We have what we need and more, yet we so often find that we cannot bring ourselves to give up just a portion of our lives for the sake of our Lord.
To avoid continuing down this shameful path, we must be able to see past our own carnal desires, and perceive the needs of others. We have an obligation to serve, and who better to serve than those to whom we have something to offer? God is calling us to be grateful to Him for His provision, take a portion of that provision, and use it to convey God’s love to those under the oppression of poverty and starvation. Perhaps for one person that means giving up that daily coffee, for another it will mean devoting much of their lives and resources to work among those in need.
Some may make the claim, “I’ll give of myself when those better off than me give of themselves.” This is not particularly unreasonable, but neither is it practical. The fact is, many of those who are “better off” aren’t giving! If we all take this mindset, this leaves only Bill Gates and Theresa Heinz-Kerry to give to the poor; if they do not, we will not. Instead of this, we can take on the leadership that they are neglecting. We must allow the wealthy to follow the lead of the middle class, and be humbled by it.
None of this can happen, however, if we cannot give up the most fundamental vice: pride. Without first humbling ourselves, we have no hope to effectively serve God’s purposes in the world. To effectively give of ourselves, we should die to ourselves. Let us hang our heads in shame no longer.
“Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor…” At this the man’s face fell.
He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Mark 10:21b, 22)
He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Mark 10:21b, 22)
Far too often, Americans today hang their heads when they hear this command from Jesus. Even worse, often we feel no such shame. Over the last several decades, and even centuries, Westerners have struggled with the idea of the complete surrender of personal affluence and “success.” Unfortunately, Christians have not been a significant exception to this rule.
There can be many reasons for this brand of selfishness, but I feel that the primary cause is that we have simply become comfortable with our situation. Certainly, there are many among us who struggle to “make ends meet,” but the standard even for those is often a steady three meals a day. I hardly need to point out that there are millions throughout the rest of the world who can barely scrape out one meal of spoiled or rejected bits of food. We claim that we have no money to spare, while ads on television daily tell us, “For the price of your daily coffee, you could support a needy child.” These cries for help from compassionate groups often fall on ears deafened by our culture’s distant but pervading pseudo-pity on the unfortunate.
How easily we seem to have forgotten Christ’s words to the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25. To those blessed he said, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:35-36 NIV) To those cursed, however, he said, “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.” (Matthew 25:42-43) Who can we accuse of being those goats if not ourselves? On the cross, all Christ had was His life, but even that was freely given for our sake. We have what we need and more, yet we so often find that we cannot bring ourselves to give up just a portion of our lives for the sake of our Lord.
To avoid continuing down this shameful path, we must be able to see past our own carnal desires, and perceive the needs of others. We have an obligation to serve, and who better to serve than those to whom we have something to offer? God is calling us to be grateful to Him for His provision, take a portion of that provision, and use it to convey God’s love to those under the oppression of poverty and starvation. Perhaps for one person that means giving up that daily coffee, for another it will mean devoting much of their lives and resources to work among those in need.
Some may make the claim, “I’ll give of myself when those better off than me give of themselves.” This is not particularly unreasonable, but neither is it practical. The fact is, many of those who are “better off” aren’t giving! If we all take this mindset, this leaves only Bill Gates and Theresa Heinz-Kerry to give to the poor; if they do not, we will not. Instead of this, we can take on the leadership that they are neglecting. We must allow the wealthy to follow the lead of the middle class, and be humbled by it.
None of this can happen, however, if we cannot give up the most fundamental vice: pride. Without first humbling ourselves, we have no hope to effectively serve God’s purposes in the world. To effectively give of ourselves, we should die to ourselves. Let us hang our heads in shame no longer.
posted by Aurenande | 1:53 AM
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