"Remember the poor." Do we actually do that?

I’ve been thinking about lots of things but in particular, Simon Pettit’s words “If we are to see the multitudes swept into the Kingdom, we need to remember the poor.” Do we actually remember the poor? What connotations are there when one hears the word poor - Lack of food, no money, poor health and hygiene, poor sanitation, lack of infrastructure etc? Is there a single cause of poverty? Not quite! Poverty is too complex to be the result of just one problem. The serious challenge is that ‘poor’ individuals find it difficult, even impossible to end their own poverty. It’s quite a vicious cycle.

How can one describe poverty? According to the United Nations, “......poverty is the denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to; not having the land on which to grow one’s food or a job to earn one’s living, not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living in marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation.”

Education: Children are often kept at home to support their family with additional income.
Health: Poor health decrease the amount of work impoverished individuals can do, lowering their income and driving them deeper into poverty.

Living in Kezi amongst the people of Mablauwuni village, it’s very easy to see how poor people are. There is much need amongst the people but the obvious ones are “lack of voice & insufficient capacity.” People generally don’t listen or don’t have the time to listen to people they consider poor and will categorise poor people as “them and us”. It’s easy to adopt an attitude of ‘we are better than them.’ People that are poor are not given the chance to make choices about their lives. Those that are in a better place financially tend to feel that it’s their responsibility to decide the future of those that are poor. People are people, made in the image of God and with intrinsic worth whether one is ‘rich’ or ‘poor’, educated or uneducated. Meeting a need with the poor (physical) results in opening a door to speak of the eternal (spiritual) and we are so blessed to be able to teach Foundations for Farming amongst the poor in Kezi which speaks of principles that apply to all areas of life.

From my experience, listening to people, caring about them, accepting them as they are, supporting them and giving them opportunities to better ones life, teaching, training and equipping people shows the church in action – meeting the physical and spiritual needs amongst the poor. When you meet a physical need, it’s easy for people to be open to the spiritual. Multitudes will enter the Kingdom but it will take hard work and commitment from everyone.

By Molly Manhanga