WE can be the Generation

popestvictor

It’s True, for those of you who were involved with the Make Poverty History campaigns in the UK (which was the ONE campaign in the US) we are familiar with the catch phrase, but this week in the teaching we’ve had we’ve been re-awakened to the truth that we CAN make a difference.

So often We’ve been convinced that our role in life is to be like the boy who was on a beach with thousands of stranded starfish and throwing them back in the water, when questioned about the futility of trying to save the starfish answered, “It mattered to that one”, but I’m not so sure you have to be that pessimistic!

Do we realise that we actually have the resources in the west to really make poverty history? When we think of poverty in the sense of a concept the phrase is far less impactful than when we realise that the issues facing the World have faces, they are people and families. Then the desire to find a solution becomes far more urgent. Im not mentioning this to walk down the familiar guilt trip road that aid agencies often employ to pull emotional responses from us, not because its wrong that we should have emotional reponses to the problems of the world, but unfortunately we have become callus to the images of poverty and the cries of a continent. The reason that it is no good for us to try and invoke an emotional response from you is because emotion just isn’t going to cut it anymore, it only ever takes us so far. Maybe we’ll throw some change into a shaken can at the supermarket, or even better we’ll sponsor a child, or aid worker monthly, but what we need is a generation to make a commitment.

popestvictor

When I say generation, Im not trying to appeal to the youth or student ages specifically, but more the generation of people alive in the planet during this age. We look back through the history books and we see that generations are remembered for things, both good and bad, people look back with 20/20 and say, “If only, If only they would have done this or that” or even more accusatory “How could they live in an age when that was happening and do NOTHING”. I know personally when ever I have seen clear injustice in history, child labour, racism, or slavery, I’ve thought “If that was happening in my day, I wouldn’t rest until it was set right, I’d apply all of my efforts, education and cultural voice to seeing that injustice ended.” I’m sure you can guess where I am going with this;

This is our Chance to make a difference, this is the age in which we are alive, what will be remembered for? Injustice is rife in the World, where once the child labour was in the industrial towns and cities of our nation, today in our Globalized economies and Industries the same Injustices are being perpetrated, just not directly in front of our eyes.

The Children are no less real, though their cries are more faint,

The Slaves are no less people, though their chains are invisible,

The Women are no more free, though they are in nations we close our eyes too.

Stay Awake!! This is not a guilt trip, but encouragement, WE can be the Generation that says, “We will be remembered for really making Poverty History” not for pride’s sake, but because every assault on any persons humanity is an assault on our humanity, and every devaluing practice towards women, devalues us all. We won’t win this War because of emotional responses, because they will always fade, we need something stronger, commitment, because strength to fulfill these commitments comes from the one who is unimaginably more committed to the poor than we could ever hope to be, because as someone once said, “God is with the Poor, and if we are with the Poor, then God is with Us”.

popestvictor

God has given us everything we need to fix the problems, so what’s the deal with us pointing the finger back at him? Its time we began using our brains and talents to see this through to the end. This is neither a call for everyone to leave family and home to move to Africa, We are not all going to be called to go to a place, but we CAN make a difference through the way we live our lives;

If you can sing, sing songs that bring awareness and solidarity with the poor,

If you work in Business, order your business dealings to help lift the poor out of poverty,

If you are a teacher, work to educate people in a way that empowers them to lift themselves out of poverty,

If you have a voice in the public forum, use to be a voice for the issues plaguing the least in society,

If you are a scientist, work to find a cure for the diseases that are found in impoverished communities.

We need all these things, because it really is going to take a generation, a whole body of people to embody the body of Christ to the Nations…

Liam and Rachel Byrnes are working with YWAM in South Africa, read more about that here, or find our how to help them to continue to work in South Africa by supporting them monthly here.