God’s plan was to keep the gap between rich and poor small!

During a recent visit to a Salvation Army school, I could not help but observe the number of children attending classes who did not wear / own a pair of shoes. This has been a big bug bear of mine and a real conscience prodder. It’s always felt somewhat symbolic to me that people in developed countries can have countless pairs of shoes at varying degrees of expense, while others have none. I guess you could mention countless other things that could represent this inequitable state but for me shoes do it!

It often sets me thinking about what I can and should do to address this. Well I am here and I guess that’s a start. But not really! I have a nice house, the use of a car when required, my kids go to a good school and we manage to get by on what allowance we are given. So just being here is not enough!

If you read through Deuteronomy, in my humble opinion that God’s plan was to keep the gap between rich and poor small. That’s why God established certain economic laws for Israel. That’s why the year of Jubilee was instigated. That’s why community was encouraged. 

So the answer always comes back to the same; my own lifestyle choices and how I influence my community. This is what God demanded of so many people in the bible (“That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor” Duet 15 v 11) So here are things I have learnt that I need to do on a personal level;

·         Cultivate contentment, desire less
·         Resist covetousness and consumerism
·         Buy things for their usefulness, not their status (#fail!).
·         Learn to enjoy things without owning them. Benefit from places of “common ownership” (parks, museums, libraries, rivers, public beaches etc.)
·         Develop the habit of giving things away.
·         Offer others the use of my possessions
·         Avoid impulse buying
·         Don’t buy now, pay later
·         Avoid credit cards as they are a problem for me
·         Learn how to make do with a lower income instead of needing a higher one

Sadly, when back in Chelmsford I often reverted to Type A and herein lies the challenge. How do I fully embed this in my lifestyle?  It feels easy to live like this when you are reminded of the poverty and injustices of the world on a daily basis. But binding a life of non-poverty together with the poor is more of a challenge when in comfortable surroundings. So whilst the above may never change much, it represents a degree of solidarity with people around the world.

And here’s another thing I am going to do; I am going to be the champion of places and projects that do not foster a mindset of dependency but encourage justice through economic empowerment. Places like Nairobi Girls Home (which I will blog about later), places like Variety Village. 

I am going to tell the story of places where the community have come together to for the benefit of others. Places like Mathare Kosovo Slum Salvation Army School (which I have blogged about already), which operates to great for children in one of Africa’s largest slums with no income and with such a dedicated team of volunteer teachers.

Finally, I am going to tell the story of Jesus – who had a bias for the poor – probably not in an overt bible bashing way but through just doing what I do and hopefully bringing some hope somewhere and people may see something of God's love for them  and His desire for justice for them through me.

Well, it's a start!