When Helping Hurts

I recently finished reading this book, although not as quickly as I would have liked, but needless to say, I finished! Rather than give a summary, I would like to share some quotes/thoughts that really stood out to me. I will say the main idea of this book is defining poverty, identifying the cycles of poverty, and discussing how we as Christians can help to alleviate poverty without further hurting the poor and ourselves. Here are some excerpts.

• "Being made in God's image, human beings are inherently relational...God has established four foundational relationships for each person: a relationship with God, with self, with others, and with the rest of creation...when these relationships are functioning properly, people are able to fulfill their callings of glorifying God by working and supporting themselves and their families with the fruit of that work."
  
• Understanding that we are/were broken in these relationships, the authors write: "Until we embrace our mutual brokenness, our work with low-income people is likely to do far more harm than good."
• "Each Christian has a unique set of gifts, callings, and responsibilities that influence the scope and manner in which to fulfill the biblical mandate to help the poor."
• "Americans spent $1,600,000,000 on short-term missions in 2006 alone" (Yes, that's $1.6 billion, not a typo) "And we complain about wasteful government spending! The profound stewardship issues here should not be glossed over."
  

This is just the tip of the iceberg of "When Helping Hurts." I would encourage you to read it and dig deeper into learning more about the biblical truths of poverty. Also, most importantly to see where your heart is as it relates to loving and reaching the poor.

Psalm 20:7-8

"7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. 8 They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright."

This passage was just another reminder of where my trust needs to be. Just as the accumulation of chariots and horses gave the ancient nations a sense of security so does my bank account, my relationships, my insurance policies and my achievements. The truth rings out very clear in verse 8; they (those who put their trust in chariots and horses) collapse and fall, but we (those who trust in the name of the Lord our God) rise and stand upright. Praise God for being a gracious God and guiding our hearts back to trust in His name alone. Praise Him for drawing those who are called His children back before we collapse and fall. His name alone is all we need!

I guess it's official...

So, the other day I got my name plate after being at the new job for a little over one month. I guess this cube is officially mine!