[Agape] Loving Those in Need

Have you ever felt helpless? Have you ever wondered, “What can I do?” or “How could I possibly help?” Have you ever been with a distraught friend, a concerned parent, or a heartbroken boyfriend or girlfriend and thought, “There is nothing I can do or say to make what they’re going through any easier”? Have you ever seen the ruins of a natural disaster or an international crisis and thought, “There is nothing I can do to help this”? Have you ever watched the fallout of a regional or civil war and thought, “I am too tiny to make a difference”? Have you ever felt the weight of the world’s problems on your shoulders and simultaneously felt the defeat of helplessness as you have considered, “I am only one person”?About two years ago, I was living in Cape Town, South Africa where I attended the University of Cape Town. There was an organization on campus called SHAWCO which led groups of students to volunteer in townships around the city. My group went to a town called Kensington where we tutored English and Life Orientation Skills to middle-schoolers. One day, as we were riding with the kids back to our university, I sat next to one of the girls I had become good friends with. As she began to delve deeper into her story, she opened up about what she was struggling with in her family life and at school. Right before we came to her stop, she had told me that she had never told anyone what she had shared with me. As she stepped off the bus, she gave me a hug and a joyous grin despite all she had been through. She took my heart with her that day. As we continued to drive past other townships, I remember thinking, “How are we going to solve this problem?”, “How can anyone solve this problem?” Cape Town’s problems seemed too big for me and, suddenly, I felt helpless and hopeless.The truth is, there is dire need around the world: needs that are not being met by their local and national governments, humanitarian crises, environmental disasters, epidemics, and neglect. But, you certainly do not need to jump on a plane and fly halfway across the world in order to meet people’s needs. In fact, you have the ability to respond to the world’s problems from any part of the world, wherever you may find yourself. The only qualifications you must have in order to effectively respond to the world’s problems are a selfless and compassionate heart and a willingness to respond.So, before we act, before we jump, we must prepare our hearts. Before attempting to solve the world’s problems, we must assume selflessness and humility. Frankly, when we become burdened with the world’s problems, it is often because we are putting ourselves at the center of the world’s problems. We ask ourselves, “How can I possibly help?”, “What can I do to solve this?”, “How am I going to make a difference?” But, we need to limit our “I” questions and, instead, we need to begin to asking questions that center on “them”. We need to wonder “What are their needs?”, “In what ways can their needs be met?”, “How can we help them make a difference in their circumstances?” You see, when we shift our perspective from ourselves to those in need, we become more capable of helping them and strengthening them in finding their own solutions. When we ignore our own selfishness, our vision becomes clearer so that we are better able to notice the things that will clear the paths for these problems and circumstances to be solved.After we prepare our hearts, then we can begin to prepare our feet; we can prepare for action. When we work on the willingness of our hearts, we will find that our actions will naturally follow. When we shift our attention to those in need, we will find that there is much that we can do from where we are. In Los Angeles, for example, the homeless population has risen 12% over the last two years, according to the Los Angeles Times. Among problems of rising rent prices, low wages, and an unwaveringly high unemployment rate, the LA Times states that “more than 44,000 homeless people were tallied in January [countywide], up from more than 39,000 in 2013,” in which well “over half — nearly 26,000 — were in the city of Los Angeles”. A notorious area in Los Angeles, Skid Row, which spans roughly 50 city blocks of Downtown Los Angeles, is comprised of nearly 20-25% of LA’s total population of homeless persons. Yet, despite these daunting statistics, stories continue to emerge in which people respond to this local epidemic: “Teens Buy 100 McDonald’s Burgers to Feed Homeless in Los Angeles”, “In upscale Pacific Palisades, reaching out to a rising homeless population”, “Emergency winter shelters for homeless set to open . . . across Los Angeles”. These stories are a testament of the simple and instinctive action that follows from a willing and selfless heart. When we shift our hearts toward those in need, when we prepare our hearts, the actions we should take are obvious. They are obvious because they center on the other person, or persons, instead of on our own selves.So, when we respond to the world’s needs, when we love those in need, we shed off helplessness, hopelessness, and any burden we place on ourselves and we, instead, act out of empathy, compassion, selflessness, and love. When we begin to find that these people in need have more things in common with us than things they do not have in common with us, our actions are instantaneous, instinctive, and impactful. When we love first and then act, we change our mindset from viewing the world’s problems as personal problems and we search for ways to empower these people in need to address and overcome their circumstances.