Friday, January 21, 2022

Prime Directive - Help Others

Lift them up
Sometimes those who go fishing,
come home empty handed
 We are all children of the same God. That is what I believe. As a nation, Americans are very individualistic. That is a great attribute in many ways; however, one problem that arises out of the individualism is that we tend to forget about our brother who might need our help. In fact, one of the issues some of my closest friends and family have with me is my desire to help those in need. They have suggested that the 'give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime' attitude should be strictly put in place. There is a problem with this approach. Sometimes, those who go fishing come home empty handed.

So, does the man starve because his labors bore no fruit? The Lord blesses us individually and disparately. I would not assume to understand why some have it easier than others. Some seem to waltz through life without a care while others work hard for mere scraps or less. My thoughts on this are that it is up to us, God's children to make sure that we all have things in common. My brother half-jokingly suggests that I am a pinko-commie. Of course, that doesn't reveal much about his understanding about the differences between communism and socialism.

Did Jesus break the bread and fishes and give only to those who would do with it as He expected? I mean, when he fed the thousands, he didn't pass over anyone that was there. It is my belief that if I am blessed with greater abundance than one of my brothers, it is my responsibility to associate those blessings as a responsibility to also care for my brother who is in need.