Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man. . .

"A child who had fallen asleep at school was asked if he had eaten breakfast that morning. He answered, "It wasn't my turn." 
--quote from the USA

Hunger and poverty are real. As long as the earth stands, these two unfriendly companions will hold the hands of thousands, though they are unwanted and uninvited. Knowing that, Jesus said, "You will always have the poor among you," implying that we will always have opportunities to show compassion to the needy.

Jesus was a man of compassion; 

true followers of Christ will emulate His life by showing mercy. 

God has a special place in His heart for the underprivileged, proven over and over throughout the Bible in verses that instruct us on caring for the poor.

Being merciful reaches farther than we can see at a human level, 

as proven by these words:

"The one who is gracious to the poor, lends to the Lord...." Proverbs 19:17

And, those who had compassion on the poor in Matthew 25 inherited eternal life. 

They asked, "Lord? When did we see you hungry?" 

And Jesus said, "When you gave food to the least of these, you were feeding Me."

In light of that, we cannot afford to neglect the poor.

If there are no physical reminders of the poverty-stricken within seeing distance, we will need to be intentional in our efforts to keep the poor before the eyes of our heart. In this blog post three years ago, I shared some ideas our family has used to remember the poor. Another very effective method not mentioned in that post is to move to a place where beggars tap on your car windows or show up at your gate. 

I am interested in being inspired by your ideas. Please tell me: What are some things you have done that help you keep compassion for the poor alive in your heart? How have you instilled compassion for the poor in the hearts of your children? 

Recently, my sister Laura hosted a Hunger Awareness Meal for the youth at their church. To give a visual aid for the imbalance of the wealth of the world, the youth were split into the following categories:

One rich man:

The rich man enjoyed a huge feast that covered not just one, but two tables. 

He had his personal waiter. He also lost some of his chicken to a persistent beggar.

Seven middle class:

The middle class ate their meal in comfort and had a modest menu. 

About 30 poor:

They didn't go hungry that night, but shared a pot of rice and beans. They dipped water from a common bucket and they shared their rice with the beggars.

Three beggars: 

Quote from a beggar when someone
tried to give him only sauce, no rice:
"I can't take that.
It isn't good for my foot."

The beggars were given battered spoons and dishes and sent to beg what they could from the other classes of people. 

If you are interested in hosting a similar event, there are some excellent websites to guide you through the preparations, including how to divide the group and what to offer each class of people. Each site varies in its suggestions, giving you a smorgasbord of ideas so you can host a version of the meal that works the best for you.

Here is a 2-page manual: Hunger Banquet Instructions by Operation Rice Bowl

This one has 30 pages of details, including printable admission tickets, short character sketches to help people relate to the class they are in, and extras like how to safely make 'dirty water' for the poor:  Hunger Banquet by Food for the Hungry

This one includes hunger statistics and quotes from the truly hungry, including the one you read at the top of this blog page: Hunger Awareness Meal by Lutheran Peace Fellowship

The truth is that no matter what shape your finances are in, the harshest form of poverty is the poverty of soul. When your spirit has not been given life through Jesus Christ, you are of all men most miserably poor. Physical poverty with all its heartache is ephemeral, for beggary will be done away with forever and exchanged for the riches of heaven when Jesus comes. 

But impoverishment of soul is eternal. 

Eternity is real. Before this post was ready to be sent, 

I received word that my grandpa passed away. I'm too far away to attend his funeral, but my heart will be there this week. Below is a picture of Grandpa giving bird houses to my children, their only memory of him.