Whenever I turn on the radio or TV, I hear about how bad the economy is and how it’s only going to get worse. The unemployment rate keeps growing. The value of most people’s investments is falling. Most people’s homes are worth less than they were just a year ago. The price of gas for our cars goes up and down faster than the stock market. Trying to decide when to fill up my tank makes me feel like a futures speculator. “The price has been going up for the last two days. Is it going to go up more before I go home or will it go down by morning?” Making the wrong guess can cost me ten dollars per fill-up.
The people we are going to serve in Malawi don’t have to worry about the price of gas. They don’t have cars. However, the price of gas is reflected in things they buy, like school uniforms for their children, shoes, even the little bit of food that they don’t grow themselves.
When you live on less than a dollar a day and prices go up, where do you trim your budget?
Another phenomenon is watching my son Andrew sprouting like good Indiana corn. Every morning his pants ride higher up his ankles. For his after school snack, he eats his way through half the refrigerator, and then asks, “What’s for dinner?” If you are missing a child or small pet, you know where to look.
In places where there isn’t enough food, adolescent boys must always be hungry. In Africa, rice is food for the rich. Meat is a rare treat. How does a teen ager have a growth spurt on a diet of millet and corn mush?
Times are tough in the US and the whole developed world. In Africa, where people are living on the edge of survival, as the cliff starts to crumble there is only one place to go.
Even when we feel like we have nothing to share, Jesus asks us to share anyway. I think He might say, “You really have more than you think. Plus, real giving means giving up a little of what you need so that others can have something. Please share even when times are tough, maybe even more now that times are tough. Don’t worry. I really will take care of you.” (Luke 12:22-31)
