Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, The seventh year, the year of remission, is near, and therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing; your neighbor might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt. Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. --Deuteronomy 15:9-10 Theres a phenomenon described by social psychologists as the bystander effect. Basically, the more people around a situation that requires action, the less likely anyone is to actually respond. Research continues into the mechanisms for why this happens, but a lot of it seems to come down to thinking someone else will do it. Someone else will give the guy on the corner something to eat. Someone else will organize the rummage sale for Rally Day. Someone else will visit the older lady who usually sits in the second pew. But scripture calls us out, asking: Why are you waiting to show mercy? Why are you waiting to lend a hand? Do we think help will come from some external source? Do we forget that we are Gods hands on earth, called to love our neighbors as ourselves? The farmers in Binaba, Ghana, know this. When they pool their labor so that no one has to weed their whole plot by themselves, they give freely of their time and effort, knowing that help will come their way when needed and that shared skills and knowledge help everyones crops flourish. Faith Rowold Episcopal Relief and Development
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 11:03:07 +0000
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