Manila, Philippine Slums
One would think that after traveling around in mostly 3rd world countries for 9 mos, I would’ve already wrestled and dealt with this issue of poverty. It has been more of an ongoing wrestling, taking different forms- from justice vs injustice to how I am personally affected. Here in the Philippines, more than anywhere else we’ve been, I’ve really been hit by the poverty we’ve found ourselves submersed in. Being urban poverty, the affects of it are much more evident (vs rural – which we’ve seen a lot of , but they still have a lot in that they have a garden, often land for free, build their own homes and everyone around them lives the same way). Here we are seeing wealth interspersed with extreme poverty- in a country where 50% of the children don’t even go to school b/c they can’t afford it (which is only about $150/yr- including transportation)!!
child waiting in line for food distribution
How come one seems to get everything they pray for and have a nice comfy “secure” life (typical American view of Christianity) and then another has to ask for their daily bread, has only one change of clothes and is constantly plagued by illnesses that they don’t have the funds to care for. I’ve been wrestling with guilt in coming from the USA and having “so much” comparatively to most of the world. BUT I can’t feel guilty for where God created me to be born and to grow up, instead I need to praise Him for the blessings and realize I was born exactly where He created me to be.
In my wanting to live a life that is not my own and to be fully devoted to/focused on Christ and giving all I can to the poor, wanting to have no trace of greed or materialism, I immediately thought that meant living on little/nothing. However, I’ve been challenged recently that the opposite of greed is not poverty, but generosity!! While it is no small challenge to learn how to live without, it is an even greater challenge to learn to live with. If my sole pursuit is to have nothing, I’m actually living in even greater selfishness and I’m missing the whole point of learning generosity by attempting to avoid even being in situations that would give me the opportunity to give!
I’ve been humbled time and time again this year as people who have nothing materially, have still given out of the little they have to bless us!! Just this past week when we were in the slums, the women there who make placemats out of old clothes to sell for about 40 cents (which is a lot to them considering they only make about 2/day and the average income is about $2/day) gave us each one!!!
the women making rugs out of old t-shirts, we were each given one as a gift!
I wrestle with the fact that I will honestly NEVER be able to understand fully how these people live and HAVE to fully depend on God…b/c even if I was to give up everything I owned and come live in a culture like this and learn to depend on God for everything I need, I’d still know in the back of my mind, that I could at any time go back to America and could once again get a job +/or have family/friends who would help me out. Even though I don’t understand why across the globe we can be created with such different lives and opportunities, I am quickly reminded (by the Holy Spirit) to have the response of praise, and not guilt, for all the blessings in my life. I realize that people who have nothing have other blessings I’ll never fully understand in the same way- incredible faith, understanding of what it means to depend on God for daily bread, community that really needs/depends on each other to survive, extreme gratitude for every little thing, etc.
Prayer and faith of a child!!
Other (some incomplete) thoughts…
America is covered in prayer and based on Christian values- founded on God, protected from a lot of hardhips because of this solid base/Christian grounding.
Generational blessings vs curses- this is a Biblical theme that I believe there’s a lot more to than we realize (in America- generations being blessed for many to come b/c of a heritage following God, praying for generations to come and being obedient)
T/o history, nations that followed God lived in prosperity and protection and feasting (vs famine) much more so than pagan nations
To whom much is given, much is required- God has blessed our nation in SO many ways and I believe that we will be judged (leadership and individually) much more harshly for how we chose to use the blessings and resources we’ve been entrusted with
Serving God vs money
I really believe money doesn’t mean that much to God (He owns it all and the stuff we stress over He has completely under control- even needing 1 million dollars for something- no big deal for Him to bring in, He “owns the cattle on a thousand hills” “the earth and everything in it belongs to Him”), what He really cares about is our heart and character…that is what He wants to refine and shape
Everything is to drawl our hearts to Him…He knows what we need and how to woo us
Challenge: Will my devotion/passion/perception/love for the Lord change depending on how He answers my prayers and whether He provides what I think I need/want or not? Is my response to Him always one of gratitude and trust because I know that I am a child of the Kingdom and not of this world (which is so temporary)? Do I only agree /display certain characteristcs when things go my way (basically saying “God agrees with me”) or also when His ways are beyond my understanding? If God showed you His desired way for you and it was fraught with peril and filled with suffering, would you choose another way?
This is the verse the Lord laid on me while in the slums – I Cor 7:17 ~ “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.”
(view looking out from standing on a trash dump)
