Hunger

“Hunger is, in essence, the most basic form of poverty, where individuals or families can not afford to meet their most basic need for food.”  - Bread for the World ( www.Bread.org )

*1/3 of the world (more than 2 billion people)suffer from malnutrition

                                         *Approximately every 3 seconds somebody dies from hunger. That’s 25,000 people per day.

While the developing world is struggling to provide for the most basic of meals, the United States is literally killing itself with its eating habits. One epidemic in the US is heart disease, the leading  cause being a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol. The Unites States spends $150 billion each year to treat the effects of heart disease (The China Study.Campbell. BenBella Books, 2006.)  The budget for the entire World Food Program was reported at  $2.7 billion as of 2008. Try to wrap your mind around those numbers and think about that for a few seconds.   

We over indulge, and we under appreciate. In the last three days, I was blessed enough to dine out three times. Three nights in a row I spent almost enough to feed a hungry person in a third world country for an entire month.  I thought about that today and I wept. I  prayed and thanked God for each meal, but I'd be dishonest if I said that I had visions of starving children as I expressed my gratitude to God.   I can open up my fridge and bemoan that “there’s nothing to eat.” Then I hop in my car and drive to the next town up and can choose between two grocery stores and seven fast food restaurants.  Meanwhile, there is a mother in Africa holding her starving child and watching helplessly as it happens. Those commercials you see on TV of kids rooting through garbage for something to eat, that really happens. 

I read Matthew 14:18-21 in a whole new light today. In this passage of Scripture we see Jesus meeting the needs of the people by feeding them. This got me thinking: If Jesus cared about people being hungry so much that he performed a miracle to do it, shouldn't I take attention to the needs of the hungry as well?  

Ronald J. Sider has this to say," To those who do not feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the prisoners, Jesus will speak a terrifying word at the final judgement: 'Depart from me...' (Matthew 25:41)The meaning is clear and unambiguous. Jesus intends that  his disciples imitate his own special concern for the poor and needy. Lest we forget, God repeats it in 1 John 3:17-18. ' But if any one has the the world's goods and sees his brother in  need, yet closes his heart against him, How does God's love  abide in him...' The words are plain.  What do they mean for Western Christians who demand increasing affluence each year while Third World nations suffer malnutrition, deformed bodies and starvation? The text clearly says that if we fail to aid the needy we do not have God's love- no matter what w e may say. No matter what we say or do at 11:00 A.M. Sunday morning, affluent people who do not help the needy and neglect the poor are not the people of God." 

Wow! That's harsh. But, it's backed up by Scripture. We can't just ignore the needy. Jesus, God's perfect Son did not, and we are to model our lives after Him.

Ferdinand Mahfood,  the founder of Food  for the Poor, points out that it's our job to become aware, and once we are aware, to take action. "We must become aware of the need and the call to share our resources with the poor. We must examine our conscience often. Then, prodded out of our comfortable cocoons, we can truly be doers and not just hearers..."

So, what are you doing to meet the needs of the hungry in your community? In the world? Have you ever stopped to consider that you have the privilege to be able to help? Not one of us is helpless, we just need to open our eyes to the situation and seek ways that we can be part of the solution.

Ezekiel 16:49 speaks of Sodom, “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, over fed, and under concerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” Sounds a lot like America. Sounds a lot like me, to be honest. 

THOUGHT TO PONDER: How would you feel if your child had no food, no clean water, and was wasting away right before your very eyes?

Today I realized that I have never really stopped to be thankful for what I have. Yeah, I pray before I eat but I never contrast what I am blessed with to what others are needing around the world. How different my spirit feels when I empathize. I find myself wanting to seek out little ways to change the lives of those who are suffering.

According to Food for the Poor, a $175  donation can feed an entire family for a year. That's not a typo. $175 feeds a family for one full year. Having heard stories from my mother who returned from a missions trip to Honduras, it's heart breaking to think of all that I have spent $175 on this past year. I'm convinced that, for the most part, what was true to Sodom is true to most of the developed world- we are "arrogant, over fed, and under concerned..." 

I'm not wanting to leave you feeling helpless and guilty, quite the contrary, actually. I want to leave you thinking beyond yourself and looking at the world for needs that you can help meet.  Maybe you have funds that you can readily contribute. Perhaps you can spend some time volunteering at your local food bank or shelter. No matter what you are able to do, we are are all able become educated on the topic of hunger. Spend some time on Google, talk to somebody who has gone on a missions trip and look through their pictures. You'll not soon forget what you discover. Remember, if you're reading this from the United States, you live in one of the most affluent countries in the history of the world. You are not helpless to make a difference.

Here's just a few places where you can donate. All of these charities score highly on 

the charitynavigator.org

www.worldvision.org/

www.bread.org

www.compassion.com/