What is it about loving the poor that is so hard? It’s me. I’m the problem. Yes, the poor are difficult to love at times, but most people enjoy helping others. When the earthquake struck in Haiti, just like with many other recent disasters, there was an outpouring of support. Do you wonder why? I think it’s because people want to help. So why, you ask, are people so reluctant to help in situations that are not so acute? Why does the monotonous march of serious, life-destroying poverty continue largely unnoticed by most? Here are a few reasons:
- Commitment is hard. I can make a one-time decision to help someone, but when I am faced with the reality of a long-term need, I find that my resolve weakens. If I can’t fix the problem in less than a month, I will probably get distracted and move on to something else.
- Trust is even harder. Lack of trust may be the biggest obstacle to overcoming poverty. Many of the poor are dishonest. Even if the people I want to help are honest, chances are that there is a dishonest person in the situation. Here is an example. I wanted to help a boy with musical talent, so I gave him a fairly expensive set of electronic drums for Christmas one year. The next time I went to his house the drums were gone. His mom had sold them to get something she wanted, or maybe even needed. Often the things we want to do to help people never really help the people we are reaching out to.
- Poverty is confusing. Problems can get really complex. Every time we come up with a solution to a problem we find another problem waiting. Often, even our solutions cause problems. It doesn’t take many failed attempts at problem solving to make one want to abandon their quest to make things right.
- People sin. Days, weeks, or even years of investing in someone may prove to have been fruitless as that person makes choices to live a destructive lifestyle. Addictions, habits, and even just plain sin cause people to turn on those who love them. It happens so often that we often find ourselves feeling hopeless about the poor and giving up on even trying.
- Materialism is sneaky. We see it in others, but our own selfishness is easy to justify. Coffee, books, meals, gadgets--they aren’t such a big deal--they just add up. Before long we find ourselves too poor to help others because we have piddled away our money.
- Time is sneaky, too. Every day fills itself whether we want it to or not. Rarely does loving the poor displace a few minutes on the computer or chatting on the phone unless we make difficult and deliberate choices.
The bottom line is that none of these reasons really matter. Jesus tells us to love the poor, so we should. Thankfully, he also promises that in spite of all the difficulties loving the poor is a wonderful investment. Whatever failures we encounter are temporary. The guarantee is that we will become more like Jesus, that we will have incredible joy, and that real tangible treasure will come to us in this life and in the life to come.
