How Much Is Enough?

This thought started churning in my mind after my sister shared a story with me from one of her prison ministry visits that they do.

Being in prison is tough enough, but can you imagine being in prison and not having any change of clothes! Yap! You read that right. Imagine a month or several months after you are incarcerated you are wearing the same clothes that you were in when you entered the prison. One outfit! 

My dilemma every morning is, what am I going to wear? So my imagination can’t fathom nor comprehend what it is like to have one outfit day in day out for months on end!

I was so challenged by this that I started looking inward and discovered so many areas in my life that I was taking for granted. 

As a Christian, I am supposed to be looking out for ways to advance God’s Kingdom. That seems easy I thought; all I have to do is give money so those in the forefront can do the work. I felt a new sorrow in my spirit that I had never felt before.

I saw that person sitting in prison wearing a dirty outfit that had not been washed for months; attending an outreach meeting of the evangelist we sent to minister in prisons. I could almost smell the odor in my imagination as I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I then realized with great sadness: how is that person going to be in a state of mind to listen to the Gospel? 

In this last hour, I feel the challeng;e that because we are blessed to have freedom and resources, this is our time to honor our God and go an extra mile. The tendency is to throw in the towel, looking at what we have done in the past and despair that nothing can save this world. That is far from true. 

Imagine the report I received from these dear ones who lay their lives down to visit the downtrodden in prison was that the few gifts of simple necessities they carry and give to them, are received with so much joy and relief. The result is an abundance of the harvest of souls!

So my question to myself is, “How much is enough Shalom?” 

James says that if a brother is cold and you say to the brother “God Bless you and be warm” (I’m paraphrasing here), and you leave them without doing anything, your faith is empty.

I am encouraging all of us, starting with myself, to look deep where we think we don’t have enough and remember how fortunate we are to have the abundance God freely gives us and ask where we can do more. I know we can’t help everybody but if we give a cup of water to someone we have given to Jesus. 

When looking for the spiritual harvest that we cannot see with our physical eyes, let’s remember to pay attention to the physical needs that we see, for they are the doorways to reach the soul.

Look around, feel the need and be moved to act, for Jesus said, “The harvest is plenty but the laborers are few!” 

God Bless you.