In a world impacted by a deep recession, we all realize that unemployment hurts those who have lost jobs. People lose their source of income, they play into the credit game to make ends meet, and next thing they know they are facing the very real face of poverty in their own lives. Those of us who have been blessed enough to “weather” the recession relatively unscathed are overlooking a hidden reality though. The unemployment of others in our community is costly to us who are neighbors to the unemployed as well.
When an individual becomes unemployed they often receive social benefits designed to temporarily assist in sustaining an individual or family. Government programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and food stamps or private assistance programs are available to help individuals and families through these ordeals. However, these cost community money. According to www.modestneeds.org, this can be as high as $8664.36 per person each year for public assistance.
The other side of this coin is the amount of revenue a community loses when an individual is not working. If a worker is making $10 an hour (what many would consider a “living” wage), they have a take home pay of $17,777.16 each year that is predominately reinvested into the community (rent, food, etc.). When both aspects are taken into consideration, unemployment has a total effect of $26,441.52 on the community per each unemployed individual!
We need to evaluate what our inacation actually costs. It's easy for us to look at this and place blame, "why aren't these people working? they should just get a job!". What are we doing to assist in this? It's time to stop looking out only for ourselves, but to truly be neighbors to those who most need it. It's messy, it's hard, it's frustrating, it's right. Build your community. What are some of the ways you are developing your local community?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
love and wrath.
Today I was reading Psalms 2. As I was reading through it a couple things stood out to me. First, the significant foreshadowing of Jesus' ministry (see vs. 2, 7-8). Secondly, the emphasis the author puts on the wrath and vengeance of the Lord.
God is all powerful, creator of the universe, all knowing, etc., but I sometimes have trouble putting this idea that "his wrath can flare up in a moment" (Psalm 2:12) and "God so loved the world" (John 3:16). Maybe you are with me on this. But then I try to put myself into as similar a position as possible (i.e. God's view rather than my own), and I think I have come to somewhat of a better understanding of this dichotomy. Let me explain.
I work in Center City Allentown helping (or trying to) chronically unemployed and the homeless try to find work (and actually succeed in their positions). When I start working with somebody, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt, I encourage them, give them opportunities for support, and as many chances to "move ahead" as possible. Some individuals respond well to this, they show increased self esteem, a new attitude towards finding a job, and eventually succeed. Others, however, choose not to follow the directives of the program, start pushing the limits to exploit the benefits, and even sell drugs outside the building during training hours. Despite my desire to help them and see them succeed, I have to admit, they make me extremely angry- even to the point of removing them from the program.
One would say that I have every right to remove them from the program. They choose not to follow the directions of the program, even though those rules lead to many benefits for them, and they go their own way, putting them back into the same destructive cycles they were a part of before they entered the program. God has set up the same thing for us: His Son IS the directive he has given us. The benefits of following Jesus are numerous; right relationship with God, Heaven, joy that surpasses understanding, etc. God has done a lot to make those things possible. Ultimately, if we choose to go our own way rather than follow God, he is going to be upset- as Psalms 2 points out.
God's wrath is a wrath of frustration, not hate. It is because He has loved so much that his wrath is so great. Not an easy thought to get past, but in the end, would we really do it differently?
God is all powerful, creator of the universe, all knowing, etc., but I sometimes have trouble putting this idea that "his wrath can flare up in a moment" (Psalm 2:12) and "God so loved the world" (John 3:16). Maybe you are with me on this. But then I try to put myself into as similar a position as possible (i.e. God's view rather than my own), and I think I have come to somewhat of a better understanding of this dichotomy. Let me explain.
I work in Center City Allentown helping (or trying to) chronically unemployed and the homeless try to find work (and actually succeed in their positions). When I start working with somebody, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt, I encourage them, give them opportunities for support, and as many chances to "move ahead" as possible. Some individuals respond well to this, they show increased self esteem, a new attitude towards finding a job, and eventually succeed. Others, however, choose not to follow the directives of the program, start pushing the limits to exploit the benefits, and even sell drugs outside the building during training hours. Despite my desire to help them and see them succeed, I have to admit, they make me extremely angry- even to the point of removing them from the program.
One would say that I have every right to remove them from the program. They choose not to follow the directions of the program, even though those rules lead to many benefits for them, and they go their own way, putting them back into the same destructive cycles they were a part of before they entered the program. God has set up the same thing for us: His Son IS the directive he has given us. The benefits of following Jesus are numerous; right relationship with God, Heaven, joy that surpasses understanding, etc. God has done a lot to make those things possible. Ultimately, if we choose to go our own way rather than follow God, he is going to be upset- as Psalms 2 points out.
God's wrath is a wrath of frustration, not hate. It is because He has loved so much that his wrath is so great. Not an easy thought to get past, but in the end, would we really do it differently?
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