Serving Instead Of Solving

• Posted on 7 October 08 by Michael Monroe
• 1 Comments

As awareness of the over 143 million orphans worldwide has increased, more and more Christians and their local churches are stepping forward and getting involved. I see this happening all across North Texas – in churches large and small and from many denominations. At the same time, many of us are only now beginning to realize just how sizable the orphan problem truly is. Whether it is the over 500,000 U.S. children in foster care or the countless millions of orphans in Africa, the magnitude of this problem leads us to talk in terms of how it can be “solved” and what we can do to bring about these “solutions.” After all, problems demand solutions and certainly that is what God intends for us to focus on, right?

I’ve come to believe that we, as followers of Christ, are not called primarily to “solve” this problem. The mere notion that we will solve this problem (at least any time soon) seems somewhat misguided – an attempt to apply a distinctly North American mindset to a global problem. Focusing on grand solutions can distract our attention and our efforts, and even prevent us from actually getting started. Truth is, there isn’t a single idea, strategy or policy, nor any amount of money that will fully address the enormity of this crisis or remedy its root causes. But this reality should not discourage us in the least. In fact, this reality actually points to what is needed most.

Rather than seeing the orphan crisis as a problem to be “solved,” I believe we should see in it a call to love and serve those who God cares deeply and passionately about. Scripture clearly, repeatedly and primarily addresses the issue of orphans in terms of God’s people loving, caring and serving. And while we can certainly talk in terms of “solutions” and even work to bring about justice and fundamental change that benefits the orphan, it is important that we always remain focused on what we are called to and why we are called to it.

Loving and serving the orphan for the orphan’ s sake, and for the glory of the One who has called us to serve, is sufficient reason for each Christian and every local expression of the Body of Christ to prayerfully consider how God can best use them. And as we seek to love and serve we might just discover that the orphan, in his lack of power and influence and in her poverty of possessions, is a means of grace and blessing in our own lives.

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1 comments

1. Duane Spangler said:

   Michael,
   I appreciate your comments, as they definitely ring true. As 21st century American Christians, we have a tendency to work toward a solution, rather than recognize that God is calling us to be involved in community with Him and with others far more than He is directing us to solve life’s problems. Society has wired us to need a measuring stick to see what we are accomplishing, rather than to be a part of His response – big or small – and allow God to have full reign over the results.
   I was recently on a trip to Africa, spending several days in and out of the slums in Nairobi, Kenya. Amid obviously desperate circumstances for so many, a question kept coming to mind, “What can I do to help?” I was struck by the realization that I could not – at least in a life-affecting way – really make much of an impact in one child’s life, let alone all the faces that quietly gazed in our direction as we passed. It led me to the belief that all we can do as Christians is to love and serve, leaving the results up to our Creator. As much as He compels us to respond, He also calls us to release our own desires to Him. This is a painful proposition, particularly when those hopes and expectations are, in our eyes, the best result.
   I can’t say that I have an answer for any of it, really. I find myself frustrated but hopeful, realizing that He alone will guide our efforts, if we are, against anything else, seeking His vision and His will.

   Permanent link to this commentNov 11, 02:07 PM