God, Us, and the Poor

I grew up in what could be called a "working poor" family. I can't remember my Father ever being without work, but I can remember him being under stress about money. We never missed a meal or failed to have clothes, though we ate a lot out of a garden and wore jeans with holes and patches in a time when that wasn't considered cool and trendy.

I've thought a lot about my upbringing lately. You see, I now make more money than Dad could have ever imagined making. God has blessed Vanessa and me and our children with being able to get good educations (much of the credit going to the sacrifices our families made for us), and work in positions where we have been well compensated for our work.

I'm not sure why it was so easy for me to loose deep compassion for the poor, since that really is my upbringing. Maybe it's somewhat natural that as we work hard and have some success that we forget what it used to be like.

God has been pounding me in recent days with Scripture that speaks of His heart for the poor, the needy, and the outcasts:

“He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,

and he will reward him for what he has done.”

Proverbs 19:17

¹⁸He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.    Deuteronomy 10:18

²²“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.’”   Leviticus 23:22

¹⁰Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:10

⁴Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have
reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.    James 5:4

I know, without question, there were people along the way who made it possible for my Dad to learn a trade (carpentry), who paid him to do some jobs that they could have done themselves (as a way of helping him provide for his family), and who showed him immense respect -- even though they made 100 times his income.

God's wisdom is ageless. He gave us His truth and it is still truth. His principles work in ancient, agrarian economies and in contemporary, technology-based economies. To paraphrase someone I've heard say something similar about a different kind of truth -- God's Word works every time it's tried (applied). My biggest challenge is to just make sure that my heart reflects God's heart.