$2 A Day

As I was looking through the latest edition of Interpreter magazine, which is published six times per year by United Methodist Communications, I was reminded once again on one of the pages that "more than half the world's population lives on less than $2 a day." Can you imagine? Trying to live on less than $2 per day? It's hard enough for me to eat a meal for less than $2!

Now, I know that most of the folks who live on less than $2 per day live in a society and culture much different than mine with very different standards and costs of living, but still, there is something wrong when over 3 billion (yes, that's with a "b") people live on less money per day than is probably in the cushions of my couch.

I am left wondering what God thinks of this situation. I would imagine that it breaks God's heart for those folks, and that God is probably not too happy with those of us who have enough to help but don't. God is probably even less happy with those of us who have plenty but don't think we do and aren't thankful and grateful for it. What are we, as Christians, supposed to think about this? How should we respond and react? What are we called to do?

In many ways, this issue is much bigger than any single one of us, but that doesn't mean that every single one of us can't make a difference in the life of someone else. How will we help those who live on less than $2 per day? Do we even really know that they are there?