The Poor in a Box

"Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised whose who love him? But you have insulted the poor." James 2:5-6a

I think we try to put the poor in a box sometimes.  The poor people belong in the poor side of town.  The poor should go to the county hospitals.  The poor get their legal services from legal aid.  The poor have their own stores and their own resources. 

I have worked with poor people and it's really aggravating sometimes.  So many poor people don't seem to want out of their box.  They're content to wait for their welfare checks.  They keep having babies even though they don't have the resources to provide for them.  They think that the Christmas provider programs (Angel Tree) is going to be there for them every year.  Or, they completely reject the resources available to them at the expense of their own children.  They just won't help themselves!

We often categorize "the poor" as a political and sociological problem.  We blame welfare programs.  We blame single parents and the demise of culture.  We blame the economy.  But we forget that the poor have always been among us in some form.  Even in Bible times, there were poor people who needed help.

Jesus reached out to the poor.  He commands us to reach out to the poor.  And in James, believers are told that favoritism of the rich is forbidden.  The poor should always be welcome among believers.  We should embrace them and love on them.  We should stop asking "why" they are poor.  We should love them because they are poor.  We shouldn't give up on them because they won't help themselves.  We should help them.

Have you done anything to help the poor lately?  I've been considering my future as an attorney and I keep thinking about "public interest" law--law that helps those who can't pay for legal services.  I don't know why, but that is where I seem to be headed.  My church has been a good example of a body of believers who have a heart for the poor.  They welcome and embrace those who are poor and need help.  On April 9, our church is having a yard sale.  But EVERYTHING is FREE.  We're giving away what God has given us in hopes that we can reach out to others who are poor and in need of a free gift (literally and spiritually).

Let's all stop thinking of the poor as helpless people, panhandlers, homeless, or people who take advantage of the system.  Let's be thankful that God, in His grace, has saved us from these circumstances.  And Let's love all God's children.  Let's stop putting the poor in a box.