İ surf TV channels a lot, oftentimes coming across reality shows on animal lovers and their pets. A recent program featured animal hoarders---their lives turned upside down by unlimited numbers of pets which have made their once houses-of-humans, landmines of stink, barf, poo, pee and even animal corpses.
Analysts say animal hoarding is a disorder brought about by the sufferers' traumatic relationships with humans. They turn to animals like cats and dogs which, according to one, "are more loyal and won't hurt you." "Pitiful" and "sad" were the only words that came to mind.
İn our country, on the other hand, we see children roaming the streets like stray cats and dogs, with not much of us paying attention to them. They knock on car windows but are most of the time shooed away.
Count me guilty. Sometimes İ gave. Other times İ didn't, especially when İ'd realize giving to pan-handlers was against the law, or that behind these children were syndicates and lazy parents making these kids their palabigasan (source of livelihood).
Why all this erratic behavior and our indifference? God's startling and all too piercing answer: "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold," Matthew 24:12. So many unfortunate things happening around us have caused even believers to remain quiet or afraid to be involved.
Somehow, we've gotten used to just staying on the sidelines even while tragedies march in front of us. Isn't that the equivalent of a heart grown cold?
Ah Lord God, forgive us. Let the Holy Spirit search our hearts. May we be sensitive to those who are alone and abandoned, and have turned to creatures or things to fill their emptiness.
Help us not to slip into the same kind of defeatist or dysfunctional attitude. May we invite not just the animal protection agency to come into their situations, but to ask Jesus into their lives along with your compassion to help see them through.
More important, may we be filled with love and compassion for helpless street children who have been abused by their parents and others who have lured them to a life of sin.
We surely cannot solve all the abuse and poverty around us, but we can do something about every situation we encounter everyday. We can either turn a deaf ear or we can turn our head in their direction and have bread ready for them, along with a prayer for Jesus to save them. May we have the wisdom to do whatever little we can do with the little that we have. "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:48a)
Or you can plan on having a more profound and lasting impact. Operation Blessing and World Vision are two of the more trustworthy organizations you can support to make sure your help for children, needy families and communities reach their intended beneficiaries:
http://obphil.com/v2/ http://worldvision.org.ph/
Originally published at CBNAsia.org
photo credits: twolittlecavaliers.com, theseedoflife.wordpress.com, www.bluenc.com, deepwaters82.wordpress.com
A Pastor once advised me when I complained, "There are just too many people who are in need and I only have so much!" He said, "When you give to one, you give to everyone." I try to give (time, attention, cash, goods, whatever I have at the moment)--to one person at a time, one day at a time. Otherwise, I'll be scraping the bottom of my barrel as well.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, there's just too many of them and your heart breaks everytime you see them and you could only do so much. Your pastor is right. God spreads His love around through those willing to do it, one day at a time.
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