RISE UP! - If not you then…WHO?

Tonight Sandi and I watched 20/20 a news magazine show on ABC. They were doing a special on kids living in poverty in America. Well it totally broke our hearts - the children interviewed were amazing and I was so proud of the way they carried themselves and articulated their heart. There were a couple of things that jumped out that I want to share. First of all was a young 5 year old heading off to kindergarten for his first day. He was so excited because he knew at 5, that if he got an education, he could get a good job and get his mom a house. You see they were homeless and had gone through several close opportunities to get a place to stay just to have the rug pulled out under their feet at the last moment. His only request from God was to have their own home to start kindergarten. Well that didn’t happen but there he was on his way to school thanking God that he could go. No home, no breakfast but grateful just the same.

The teacher was working on counting to three with him and one of the exercises was to answer a question that would be simple for anyone, even a five year old, to answer but it stumped him. I was holding my breath for him thinking why doesn’t he answer he had been counting to three all day long and was so proud of his achievement. What was the question that stumped him? How many meals a day do we eat? The answer of course is three…you see he could count to three but in his short five years he had never had three meals in one day, he simply did not know the answer because it was foreign to him. I thought come on are you telling me that no one can get this kid three meals in one day in five years. This leads me to the second thing that stood out the lady reporter had a spot after a commercial where she said some of you may be asking why ABC didn’t help this and other families they were interviewing. Her lame answer was because they wanted to present it the way they have to live and work it out on their own.

I thought to myself, “WHO IS GOING TO RISE UP!” Immediately God said to me If not you… who! I thought of Samuel who said “Here I am Lord” I felt conviction in my heart and I know I am to rise up. No pointing fingers, no expecting government to help, no blaming the rich, or the poor. What am I GOING TO DO! I can’t help the 20 thousand kids in this New Jersey town that are in third world conditions but can I help ONE in Kelowna. Last week we heard that many kids in Kelowna go to school hungry! This is unacceptable this is my city, these are my kids, this is my problem and it is my responsibility to be the solution. Can you imagine a city that all thought that way? What could we do to change a life? It takes so little effort to make a huge difference. The bible says don’t pray for the hungry and then send them away hungry. Its time we ALL rise up and put an end to poverty…not just financial poverty but spiritual and emotional poverty as well. How about you? We all have a choice of which direction we will point a finger…to someone else…or at yourself.

Mark has always had a heart to see the church be at the center of fulfilling the social needs of the community. As such, The Bridge does many programs that make a difference in the community. We all wish Mark a happy holiday as he leaves this week for a long-awaited time away with his wife.