November 05th, 2020

​If you follow Jesus around long enough in the bible you'll quickly discover something about him. Jesus didn't spend a whole lot of time trying to figure out why people were in the rough spots he often found them in. I think that's because Jesus was always so singularly focused on becoming the reason they got out of those spots.

I figure we can manage the way we help people two ways. We can be the person who decides someone is their own worst enemy and therefore undeserving of our help. Or, we can start with the assumption we are all our own worst enemies and what we need is someone dying to show us what it means to have a friend - not an enemy.

I think poverty is the most destructive force on the planet. I think it continues to destroy lives because the conversations around poverty often start with trying to figure out how someone got themselves there in the first place.

Too many conversations about poverty start with blame. That's also where too many of them end.

This Jesus in the bible, he didn't spend a lot of time sitting with the religious leaders and politicians trying to map out a plan to eradicate poverty - even though this Jesus made it clear fighting poverty was one of his major priorities on earth.

I wonder if this is because Jesus knew if he sat down with these folks to map out a platform, they'd spend all their time trying to figure out who did and didn't deserve to be a part of it.

Jesus always seemed to be saying, I am the platform.

And so are you.

Jesus always seemed to be saying:

Go feed the hungry.
Go give a drink to those who are thirsty.
Invite the lonely person over to your house for dinner.
And if they are cold when they leave, give them your coat.
He always seemed to be saying go visit prisoners.
Go tend to the sick.

Jesus didn't need a platform or a set of policies to guide his work. He was like the original Nike commercial: just do it.

Jesus always seemed to be teaching us that when it comes to helping others, helping isn't a thinking person's game - it's not a mental endeavor - it's a heart game.

Jesus always seemed to be saying, let me make this easy on you all - someone knowing why they are in a rough spot is never as powerful as them knowing you want to be the reason they get out of it.

Jesus always seemed to start with the assumption no one had a reason why they shouldn't be helped that was bigger than his heart for helping them.

Maybe that assumption is the starting point for love.