Urgency

June 27, 2011

Our culture today labels many things as being “urgent.”

Commercials tell us we must “act now” or we’ll miss out on the amazing offer. At work we are told to get something done “ASAP.” Even our food is urgent – if we can’t get through the drive-through lane in less than five minutes, we’re appalled.

But when we hear about the plight of orphaned and vulnerable children around the world, do we feel the same sense of urgency? We might be concerned, but are we moved to do something about it right now?

Sometimes it’s easy to assume that acting now – versus a week from now – won’t make much of a difference in correcting such a huge problem. With over 143 million orphans in the world, the problem is still going to be there next week…next month…next year…right?

But that’s not the Godly perspective. As Compassion International CEO Dr. Wess Stafford tells in his book, Too Small to Ignore: Why the Least of These Matters Most, the number of children in need in our world is worthy of immediate attention.

“Statistics…can overwhelm us. We become paralyzed by the sheer magnitude of the problem…But do you remember the shock and heartache you felt when you watched the World Trade Center towers crumble to the streets of New York, taking nearly three thousand innocent lives with them?

Now imagine with me for a moment. What if a catastrophe of equal devastation had happened at noon, just three hours later, at the Sears Tower in Chicago… then Denver… then Los Angeles… then Honolulu… Tokyo… Bangkok… Calcutta… Moscow… finally London – the world would have shuddered to a grinding halt, never to be the same again.

Well, something similar did happen on a worldwide scale that tragic day. Thirty thousand of our little innocents under age five were taken from us. Sadly, this level of loss also happened on September 10 and September 12 and every single day since. The microphones, cameras and satellite dishes don’t bring this shocking reality into our living rooms as they did on 9/11. But it happens nonetheless.” (pages 3-4)

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us that we are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and care for the sick. He also tells us that “whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

In other words, God wants us to act. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Right now.

And here’s the good news: there are dozens of ways you can help those in need – and you can start today! His Little Feet encourages you to (be in on it) by GIVING, SPONSORING, GOING or ADOPTING. You can find out more about these and other opportunities at www.hislittlefeet.org.

Don’t wait until later to answer God’s call to care for the broken, sick and hungry. There are millions of children in need of help today – now is the time for us to respond with urgency.