Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Psalm 82:3
Driving through large cities in the developing world is usually an adventure. Maneuvering through the traffic of the busy roads is often like walking through a swap meet: hundreds of people station themselves on the city streets doing their best to offer their goods to travelers passing by in order to make their livings.
It's easy to say “no” again and again for goods you don’t want or need, but it is much harder to say “no” to a child knocking on your window asking for money for food, to the crippled man sitting on a skateboard rolling between cars hoping someone will give him some money, or the young girl walking a blind gentleman past the car and asking if we could spare some change. Stories like these are commonplace all over the world. Sometimes you just want to close your eyes so you don't have to look anymore.
It is easy to feel helpless when you're looking into the face of the woes of the world. There are so many needy people all around. But the answer is not to live a life with your eyes closed so you don't have to look anymore. We can't just shut our eyes to the sorrows and the needs of those who are oppressed and desperate.
It's also not realistic to hand money to each person you pass. But there are actions you can and do take. Open your eyes. Be ready when God gives you an opportunity to help someone. Then, do your part. Alone, none of us will solve the world’s poverty. But together, with each of us doing our bit, we can help make a difference in the lives of the people we come in contact with, even if it's just for a moment. Instead of shutting our eyes, we need to open them to see what God might be asking us to do or say today.
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