"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". Proverb
This well known proverb teaches an important truth; give people things and you meet immediate needs, but teach or train them to take care of themselves and you empower them. I understand and agree with the point in the physical areas of life. I thought about this proverb today while at an annual family "giving party". About five years ago John's sister initiated this really special tradition. We meet after Christmas and have lunch at her place, and she makes several suggestions of charitable organizations that she is willing to donate to, instead of giving us things we may not want, and certainly don't need. In so doing, it raises every one's awareness of others who have far less than we, and it also promotes gratitude for what we have. Now, I'm all for anything that increases our awareness of the needs of others along with finding ways we can give out of the abundance with which we've been blessed. This is a meaningful time for the family and I'm grateful to my sister-in-law for the trouble to which she goes in preparing a nice day for us. But today I couldn't help but reflect upon the insufficiency of this proverb's maxim when related to spiritual truths.
There are many organizations out there that do good work for people. They provide food, clothing, shelter, and a myriad of support services. Some organizations have an additional component that provides mentoring, modeling, life skill instruction, vocational counseling, and self-sufficiency projects. While these are admirable and more akin to the proverb's sentiment, organizations that stop there, miss a vital point. If we feed a person's body but not their soul, they will eventually die physically and spiritually. But if we feed their souls (with the living Word of God), they will still die physically some day, but spiritually they will live eternally.
Americans are notoriously into self-sufficiency. We are a "pull yourself up by your boot straps" kind of people and culture. Go to Borders or Barnes and Noble and you'll find shelf after shelf of self-help, or do-it-yourself books. We pride ourselves on our ability to stand on our own two feet. The problem with a charitable organization or an individual stopping there is that it's easy to miss the vital truth that this is the antithesis of how things work in the spiritual realm. Christ's birth, which we have just celebrated, is a vivid reminder to us that God has done for us what we CAN NOT do for ourselves. You know the story - Jesus was born as a man to live a perfect life, and die sacrificially on our behalf, so that we might find our way back to God. God is holy and can not allow sin in His presence. Only a perfect sacrifice could be offered on our behalf to make God's forgiveness available to us. This flies in the face of human self-sufficiency. God doesn't grade on a curve, and so even if I'm pretty good 60% of the time (or even 95%), or if I'm mostly better than others, it's not the 100% required to meet His holy standard. Only Christ could meet the standard, and pay the price for the sin of mankind. When I dismiss the work of Christ as being insufficient, which is what I do when I say that I must do my part, therefore adding to His work, I show that I don't understand my situation or my peril. It also shows that I don't understand the holiness of God or how broken I really am. It also speaks poorly of a God, who would insist that Christ's death be the only solution to our problem, and let His son die, if we could earn His favor or forgiveness on our own.
So, the good news announced at Christmas, and realized at Easter, is that God has made a way for us, knowing we could not do it for ourselves. Let's not let our American independence hinder us from seeing these life saving truths. We've all received, and given gifts this Christmas. In all of that let's not forget that Christ is THE ULTIMATE GIFT; one we didn't earn, or deserve, but can receive by faith. If you have questions about how this works, feel free to email me privately and we can talk! (chwitucke@att.net)
There are many organizations out there that do good work for people. They provide food, clothing, shelter, and a myriad of support services. Some organizations have an additional component that provides mentoring, modeling, life skill instruction, vocational counseling, and self-sufficiency projects. While these are admirable and more akin to the proverb's sentiment, organizations that stop there, miss a vital point. If we feed a person's body but not their soul, they will eventually die physically and spiritually. But if we feed their souls (with the living Word of God), they will still die physically some day, but spiritually they will live eternally.
Americans are notoriously into self-sufficiency. We are a "pull yourself up by your boot straps" kind of people and culture. Go to Borders or Barnes and Noble and you'll find shelf after shelf of self-help, or do-it-yourself books. We pride ourselves on our ability to stand on our own two feet. The problem with a charitable organization or an individual stopping there is that it's easy to miss the vital truth that this is the antithesis of how things work in the spiritual realm. Christ's birth, which we have just celebrated, is a vivid reminder to us that God has done for us what we CAN NOT do for ourselves. You know the story - Jesus was born as a man to live a perfect life, and die sacrificially on our behalf, so that we might find our way back to God. God is holy and can not allow sin in His presence. Only a perfect sacrifice could be offered on our behalf to make God's forgiveness available to us. This flies in the face of human self-sufficiency. God doesn't grade on a curve, and so even if I'm pretty good 60% of the time (or even 95%), or if I'm mostly better than others, it's not the 100% required to meet His holy standard. Only Christ could meet the standard, and pay the price for the sin of mankind. When I dismiss the work of Christ as being insufficient, which is what I do when I say that I must do my part, therefore adding to His work, I show that I don't understand my situation or my peril. It also shows that I don't understand the holiness of God or how broken I really am. It also speaks poorly of a God, who would insist that Christ's death be the only solution to our problem, and let His son die, if we could earn His favor or forgiveness on our own.
So, the good news announced at Christmas, and realized at Easter, is that God has made a way for us, knowing we could not do it for ourselves. Let's not let our American independence hinder us from seeing these life saving truths. We've all received, and given gifts this Christmas. In all of that let's not forget that Christ is THE ULTIMATE GIFT; one we didn't earn, or deserve, but can receive by faith. If you have questions about how this works, feel free to email me privately and we can talk! (chwitucke@att.net)
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