Called to Protect

“He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

This morning I wrote a post on Facebook about some of the effects of the current crisis in Haiti for Haiti Foundation Against Poverty, the nonprofit organization my husband and I direct. I wanted to expound on what I wrote for all of you because I believe it has everything to do with ethical fashion and a pursuit of empowering people out of poverty.  Take a read and let me explain:

“There are many truthful articles and posts being written about the increasingly unstable situation in Haiti.  We have been sharing some and writing some of them to raise awareness and request help and prayer. The majority of these writings offer a general description of the atrocities happening across our city: kidnappings, protesting, hunger, violence, etc.  It is all true, it is all awful, it is all terrifying, but it is also all personal. It is easy to feel disconnected from stories about injustice happening in far away places when the text generalizes events and vaguely describes the situation of the oppressed.  It can be difficult to grasp the magnitude of the situation when we cannot see ourselves in their shoes or when we do not know the names or faces of those who are being victimized. Today our hearts were burdened to make this personal. Enough with the vague posts.  People we know and love, even our very own family members, are living traumatized, fearful, and in pain.  

Today, right now as you read these words, a one year old boy named Jeffrey is trying to learn how to trust a stranger after his mother left him in a hospital and never came back.  Her own pain, poverty, and trauma likely led to her unfortunate decision to abandon her baby boy. He will never know for sure, but what he does know is how much he misses her. This is what child abandonment looks like.

Today, right now as you read these words, a three year old boy named Junior is laying in a hospital in Port-au-Prince with severe physical complications rooted in malnutrition.  His organs are failing and preventable diseases are claiming his body. This is what food scarcity and malnutrition looks like. 

Today, right now as you read these words, a police officer is laying in a hospital where the doctors are all on vacation and he has not been able to receive medical care for days.  He has a broken arm, at least 4 missing teeth, and other painful injuries from attempting to serve and protect his country. This is what lack of good medical care looks like.

Today, right now as you are reading these words, some of our extended family members are fearful for their safety as they plan how to secretly and strategically move from the only home they have ever known because a ruthless gang has decided to increase their territory and they are now living under their violent oppression.  This is what lawlessness looks like. 

You may be reading this as you sit in a doctor’s office, waiting to receive testing or treatment.  You may be reading this as you are sitting in a restaurant waiting for your food to be served. You may be reading this from the comfort of your own home which has electricity and running water.  Or perhaps you are reading this as you go about your day, in a city where gangs are not running the streets with semi-automatic rifles waiting to kidnap your children as they walk home from school.  Please understand that this post is not to make you feel guilty. What you are experiencing is what all people should have access to. These are basic human rights.  

We believe those of us privileged enough to possess these basic human rights also have the power to help fight for those who don’t.  Rather than feeling guilty or helpless, we can choose to let the generosity of our gratitude pour over to seek justice for someone else’s life.  “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” (Luke 12:48)  You can seek justice for Jeffrey and Junior and James and Jivenson through the power of the Holy Spirit who Jesus has entrusted in you and the gracious gifts the Father has bestowed upon you.     

You can help protect them.
You can pray scripture over them.
You can sponsor a child or support an abandoned baby. 
You can purchase from a program that is bringing mothers out of poverty by the opportunity of employment. 

You are equipped to be a freedom fighting, justice seeking, Kingdom growing, warrior of the Lord God Almighty who was, and is, and is to come!  Let’s armor up and protect the vulnerable! The time is now!”

We are all aware that money and wealth is not distributed evenly among nations, people groups, or individuals.  The Bible even tells us that there will always be poor among us. It also tells us how to treat the poor. Deuteronomy 15:11 says, “There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.” (MSG) From even the very early Biblical writings, Old Testament kingdoms and land owners were instructed to leave some of their crops for the poor during a harvest. Leviticus 23:22 says, “When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the LORD your God.” (NLT)  Deuteronomy 24:19 explains a similar principle, “When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.” (NLT)

Throughout scripture God calls His people to seek justice and love mercy.  Micah 6:8 is one of the most popular verses expressing this calling. It says, “He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness (or mercy depending on the translation), and to walk humbly with your God?” (NLT)

We are called to defend the orphan and protect the fatherless.  Proverbs 31:8-9 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”  Psalm 82:3 says, “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and oppressed.” These are just a few examples of the repeated command to protect vulnerable people. When something as important as this is repeated dozens upon dozens of times throughout scripture, I think we had better take notice! 1 John 3:17-18 says, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” We are even told that doing these things for the poor is like doing them for Jesus, after all, each one of us is made in our Father’s image.  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:40, NIV)

So how do we do this in 2020 when we the majority of us are not harvesting our own crops or standing in a courtroom defending the fatherless?  We tithe, we bring offerings, we help the poor, we lend our time and our talents, and we pray.  We don’t get every bit of worth out of something before donating it to the poor, but we leave good things for them to take freely, without judgement. We advocate for their rights to education and proper healthcare by sponsoring a child in a third world country or purchasing products from companies who pay fair wages to their employees. I believe we could revolutionize poverty rates by letting this calling to protect the poor impact more areas of our lives. Our current practice as a nation of materialism and consumerism allows for the rich to keep getting richer while the poor are pressed down in oppression.  

I began this blog because I started a new journey towards ethical living and I didn’t want to journey alone.  How lonely and boring would that be? I wanted you to be my adventure buddy, learning alongside me as we think through our purchases and wear products that defend the widow and protect the orphan.  I’m not expecting perfection from myself or anyone else, but I’m hoping that the act of trying together will bring greater change and keep more vulnerable people protected and free.  

I am so thankful for every comment and every time you share these posts. Please keep sharing and make sure you have subscribed! You are helping our team of ethical living journeyers to grow stronger in heart and number. I can’t wait to see where this journey will take us! Where has it taken you so far?

His Kingdom come, His will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.