Hammer on Anvil '

Battles We Should Be Fighting (For and Against)

1) Hunger (Against)  What would you do if you were given the opportunity to have Jesus Christ as a dinner guest in your home?  Most of us would likely jump at the chance.  We’d scrub every surface, vacuum and mop every floor, set out our finest dinnerware, and prepare a grand meal.  Well guess what?  You’ve got that chance.  Jesus said, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in” (Matthew 25:35).  What, you don’t remember having Jesus as a dinner guest?  He goes on to say, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).  There are opportunities aplenty for fighting this battle.  Need a place to start?  Check out Action Against Hunger and Water.org.

2) Orphans (For)  Imagine if between a half and two-thirds of the United States were orphans.  According to a recent UNICEF report(1), that is the estimated number of orphans in the world today (143 million to 210 million).  Without parents to guide and provide for them, they have a difficult road ahead.  Older orphans are particularly vulnerable, to abuse, suicide, slavery, or becoming child soldiers(2).  James tells us, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress” (1:27a).  Need a place to start?  Check out Harvest Ministry and OrphanHope International.

3) Widows (For)  This is a battle that is often tragically overlooked.  Losing any loved one is difficult, but losing a spouse is particularly devastating.  In the US, the primary hurdles that widows face are financial hardship and loneliness/grief.  “Statistics on widows age 65 and over show that five years after they were widowed 9.4% were living below the low-income threshold” (3).  Elsewhere in the world, widowed women face even larger hurdles as they are often shunned from society.  One woman from India said of being a widow, “We are considered bad omens.  We are excluded from all auspicious events.”  Another from Nigeria said, “We are treated like animals just because we are widows.”  And a woman from Bangladesh said, “We have no shelter, my children can no longer go to school.” (4).  How can you help?  Start by checking out Widows’ Rights International and Widows Ministry.

4) Poverty (Against) The problem of poverty is difficult to grasp in the US.  We are the richest country in the world.  Does your household make $35,000 a year or more?  You are in the top 4% of wealth in the world.  $50,000 or more?  You’re in the top 1%.  There is often a stigma against the poor that they could get out of poverty if they would just be willing to work, but this is not the case in most instances.  In poor countries, in particular, people often know what they could do to improve their standard of living, but they are unable to do so because they have no money to begin with.  For example, they may know that buying a goat to milk would pay for itself in two months and would then bring sustainable income to be able to send their children to school, but that knowledge does no good if they have no money to buy the goat to begin with, nor any way to even get a loan for the goat.  There are tons of ways you can help.  Two of my favorites are Zidisha and World Concern.

5) Healthy Marriages (For) It is an institution that we claim to value very highly, yet the divorce rates among Christians are just as high as, if not higher than, non-Christians.  We live in a society where feelings are perceived to be all that matter in relationships.  If our feelings towards a spouse change, we should just divorce and start again with fresh feelings with someone else.  But what if we started placing commitment and loyalty above feelings?  In most cases, people do not cut blood relatives out of their lives because of feelings.  How much less so should they be cutting out the one with whom they have been made one flesh?  That’s not to say it’s easy.  It’s hard.   It’s hard to do the right thing.  There will be challenges, hurdles, and difficulties galore.  But the greatest love stories are the ones where two people supported one another through the most difficult circumstances and came out stronger in the end.  If they were worth fighting for to make them your spouse, they’re worth fighting for to keep them your spouse.  One great resource for this is Focus on the Family.

6) Sex Trafficking (Against) Think this just happens in backwater countries halfway across the world?  Wrong.  This is the most prevalent form of slavery today and it’s happening in our own backyard.  In 2005, the Department of Justice reported there have been an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 sex slaves in the US since 2001.  A 2009 study estimated nearly 300,000 youth in the US were at risk of being sexually exploited for commercial uses.  This involves girls as young as 5 or 6 years old (5).  Need a place to start helping?  In many cases, generating awareness to help local organization is the greatest need.  Also check out the organizations listed at WakePeopleUp.com.

7) Needs in Our Own Backyard  We Christians often get the idea that we have to go somewhere in order to do any good, but there are plenty of “mission” opportunities right in your own backyard.  There are needs that need to be met and people whose lives you could be impacting in a positive way.  You probably won’t have to search very far in order to find an organization that is meeting needs in your community.  There is a fantastic organization in my community called Mission Arlington.  They help low-income families and individuals with food, tutoring, furniture, rental assistance, health, dental, etc.  It’s truly amazing all that they do.  There is also an organization I’m familiar with in Austin, TX called the Karpophereō Project (KP Project for short).  They work with people who once suffered from chronic homelessness.  If you have a backyard and are willing, they will come and plant a garden in your backyard.  Then, they’ll come once or twice a week to tend the garden and harvest the fruit/vegetables.  As the homeowner, you get half of the produce.  The other half is sold at a local farmers market, and the proceeds go to the chronically homeless, which “can help take the financial edge off societal reintroduction.”  These are great organizations, but the thing is, they may not be right for your community.  Take the time to find what needs are in your community and what you can do to help meet them.

The Battle We Should Not Be Fighting

1) Sin in Non-Believers  Far too much of our energy is spent fighting sin in non-believers.  We do this thinking it will actually do some good, but our own Bible tells us otherwise.  If your non-believing brother quits sinning, will it earn him a place in the Kingdom of Heaven?  No.  Will he be any closer to God?  No.  So stop fighting a battle you cannot win.  Our fight against sin in non-believers is a band-aid on a broken bone.  Wouldn’t it be far better if we mended the broken bone?  We can do this by demonstrating Christ’s love by fighting the right battles.  Then we will be the salt and light to the world that Jesus spoke of Matthew 5:13-16 and people will see true value in Christ.

“You are the salt of the earth.   But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.  You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.   Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.   In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).