Well folks the election is over but the divisiveness is
not. Not that I thought it would
be, but a girl can hope! So what
does one do when going on Facebook or some other social media site and finding
our friends and acquaintances stating opinions that we clearly disagree
with? Most of the time I just
ignore it but today I have seen posts that hit right at the core of my
beliefs. One of my greatest
passions in ministry is work with the poor. Here is what I posted…
“My heart is breaking over so many insensitive comments being
made about “the poor” so much so that I cannot stay silent anymore. If you want
smaller government and people not living off welfare that’s AWESOME but make
sure to ask yourself, What am I doing to educate people who were born into
poverty and are ignorant to any other way of life? Whole generations of people
are stuck in a cycle of poverty & don’t know how to “pull themselves up by
their bootstraps.” If you don’t believe me and just think they are “lazy” spend
some time in a poor urban neighborhood or small Appalachian mountain holler.
Humanize “the poor” and listen to their story even if it is filled with drugs
and crime-the only way they’ve ever truly known. Ask yourself, is my church
stepping up so that the Government doesn’t need to? Am I loving the poor as
Christ has called me to? Am I part of the solution? Ironically the people who
should be the most frustrated with people living on welfare- the social
workers, the non profit workers, etc…aren’t the ones complaining in my Newsfeed
because they know they are doing the best they can to help poor people have a
better life! Are you? They realize the systemic issues of poverty are far
greater than mere laziness.”
Shortly after posting this I was overwhelmed by the number
of people who seemed to agree, from both sides of the isle, democrat and
republican. I’m so pleased that my
getting fed up actually touched people. What scares me though is that I am
already seeing people springboard off of this and make their own status updates
to say things criticizing others that have previously criticized the poor. Disagreements are now taking place on
the pages of others about whether or not to engage in free handouts and how
often and who deserves them.
Really? Aren’t we missing
the point? EDUCATION! I am so blessed to have found a Church
to work at that not only houses an amazing feeding ministry for homeless individuals/families
(handouts) but takes a much more holistic approach with social workers on
staff, occupational therapists volunteering their time, job counselors, etc…
(AKA Education!) It is easy
to hand out blankets and donate clothing, it is SO much harder to build
relationships with someone who may be smelly, addicted to drugs, a former (or
even current) criminal, or just plain ungrateful. Yet this is our mandate from Jesus Christ as
Christians.
The solution many are opting for on FB- delete, hide, or
block people you don’t agree with.
Trust me I’ve thought about it. But is that going to help any of us
grow? Yes, if their speech is
abusive or damaging to you, do it, of course. On the other hand if you are just sick of hearing people
with a different opinion than yours maybe you need to. Take a good long look at your friend
list. Is everyone the same race or socioeconomic class as you? Are they all from the same region of
the state, country, or even world?
Is everyone of the same religion? I realize many people go on Facebook merely as
entertainment and don’t want to be “challenged” but there is a great big world
out there and social media is such an amazing way to truly listen and learn
from one another. So for now, I won’t be deleting anyone-unless they call me
names ;) I don’t like name-calling.
Now for some humor on the subject thanks to Rage Against the Minivan...
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