During Lent, while I was abstaining from cheese, I saw a friend's Facebook status say how convicted he was that he got frustrated by the lack of room in his fridge for his groceries. I paused at the utter honesty in that short phrase and how privileged it is for me (and most people I know) to choose to refrain from eating something. So many people don't have that choice.
 |
| Fight Hunger: http://hungergames.wfp.org/ |
"The Biggest Loser" series has become a worldwide hit airing in over 90 countries and produced in 25 countries. It normally comes on just before Parenthood (my favorite TV show) so sometimes I catch the tail end of an episode. I avoid watching this show because, like Extreme Makeover Home Edition, it never fails to make me weep with empathy and compassion. That can be exhausting and it's already difficult to stay up watching Parenthood :) #gettingolder. Anyway, back to the irony - the Biggest Loser comes on TV on Tuesdays. Thursdays around the same time Ardmore Methodist opens its doors, just around the corner from me, offering food and clothing to people who need it. Pause for a moment and consider the PSA below. (P.S. I chose Taye Diggs on purpose ;))
We have got to shine a light on this disconnect between having shows like the Biggest Loser run on prime-time and the family that lives in your neighborhood who hopes you don't see them when they go to the food pantry on Thursday night. I don't have all the solutions and will continue to mull this over and share on this blog. I want to end with 2 things - a powerful message about Famine from the ONE campaign (which is doing GREAT things) and a parable from Jesus that (for me) is a call to action.
The Sheep and the Goats - Matthew 25: 31-46 (msg)
"When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'
Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'
Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—
I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'
Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help? He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me. Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."
