Have you ever encountered a homeless person, given them some money, watched them shuffle away and wondered, 'Have I just paid for their next drink or rewarded laziness?' In some cases you may be right, in other cases wrong. So what should you do?
In 2 Corinthians 8, God gives us a plan we can understand and follow. The Macedonian church did it this way: (1) Both the well-off and the needy participated. They all gave, even those in 'extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity...[and] gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability' (vv2-3 NIV). (2) They gave gladly, not under pressure. '...Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing...' (vv3-4 NIV). (3) Their giving flowed from their devotion to Christ. 'They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us' (v5). They didn't give to impress others or for a tax deduction or to get the preacher off their backs or because they 'felt bad' for the needy. No, it was a natural response to being in love with Jesus. (4) The church leaders received, oversaw and distributed their collective giving. They didn't give navely, trusting the integrity of the unknown and unproven. Their leaders handled and distributed their gifts openly, consistently and with accountability. They knew the finances were handled honestly '...in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men' (v21).
Bottom line: you can give without loving, but you can't love without giving to those God loves.
I am still thinking about Tania Wysocki this morning and hoping that she finds another way. Chester Burrows is right - $43,000 per year is probably enough to live on - if you are in a two income family and able to split the bills! I would like to see Chester live on $43,000 a year with two children - in Auckland - on his own.
I am thinking about how much New Zealand has changed since i have lived here. Back in 1989 i stepped off a plane, and without any tertiary education i walked into a job that made it worth it for me to work. I literally arrived here on the last Wednesday in May, had a job interview on Friday, and started my first job on the Tuesday after Queens Birthday weekend.
I like to think that it was my intelligence, charm, and good looks that got me that job, but when i think about it - they hired me on the spot. There can't have been that much competition for the role! I worked there for three years, and even on youth wages that was still 3 times more than what a benefit would have been.
I have been thinking about this because i have looked for jobs over the past two years, and have come to the conclusion that tertiary education has gone from being a privilege in this country and something that only the academically gifted embark on - to a necessity just to get a job that pays anything more than the minimum wage. Even if you are able to get a job that pays the minimum wage - you have done so after beating about 50 other applicants and have decided it is worth it to take a pay cut from what you receive on a benefit - after paying childcare , transport, etc costs.
It goes without saying that most people on benefits can not afford an income reduction, so they stay where they are - or they choose to study. Tania had a pretty fair point when she reminded us all that Paula Bennett used our Welfare System to better herself - she was on the DPB and would not be where she is today had it not been for the availability of the training incentive allowance that she made the most of to get herself an education.
I am not complaining about my lot. I have extra help. I have an ex husband who pays for just about everything for our children, and i am sure that i have a guardian angel because no matter how bad things get or how broke i am - things always seem to work out and we end up OK. I am always broke - but we are always OK and I am grateful for that . But not everyone has an ex like mine and that kind of help. I know i would not be able to survive and my children would be suffering if i did not have that extra help. If i had to pay school fees, uniforms, sporting fees, school camping fees, stationary costs etc etc - i would be in big trouble. I don't know how some people do it.
For Paula Bennett to take away the training incentive allowance - an allowance that enabled her to better herself - just seems to me like our Social Development Minister lacks any form of a compassionate heart and seems to have forgotten exactly where she came from.
It seems to me that it is always the people who have survived hard times and come out on top that lack the most empathy. John Key and his constant reminders that he grew up in a state house are another example. These people seem to think that because they did it - everyone can and it is easy. They forget though - about all the assistance that they had doing it.
One day i am going to be in a better place, but i will never forget this place - or the worse places - and the help that i have had getting out of them.
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