Giving our Best for the Worst of Times
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way –” (A Tale of Two Cities, first line)
Charles Dickens’ description of the tumultuous years leading up to the French Revolution came to mind the other day as I was listening to the news on the radio.
The U.S. Election, terrorist attacks, crimes of fear, hate, and greed, spread of disease and rise of global warming – everything I heard made me despair in the state of the world.
But looking around me as I drove to my friend’s house in Melbourne, I saw parents leisurely pushing posh prams to the park, cafes bustling with business, and markets fully stocked of diverse produce.
How is it that in one corner of the world, there is a surplus of food, money, and peace while just around the bend there is such suffering, both silent and exposed?
Dickens was right; it is possible to live in a parallel universe where pompous and poor, entitled and empty, indifferent and invisible are neighbours. The growing inequality and injustice lead to a revolution that shatters and self-destroys. Living for oneself and one’s own pursuit of happiness inevitably leads to a reckoning that is catastrophic not only for the guilty but the innocent.
If his masterpiece isn’t warning enough for us of the dangers of indifference, let us turn to the greatest classic:
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 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.” (1 John 3:16-18)
God’s Word is a truth mirror that reveals the injustice, hypocrisy, and sinfulness in our souls and society. God does not mince words; He cuts through our complacency to spur us to change.
So what can we do?
Laying down one’s life for our brothers and sisters doesn’t always require the guillotine or the cross. It does however ask for compassion and love in action.
This week is Homelessness Week, as Bronwyn presented last week at church. Here’s the list she presented on what we can do:
- Donate money, food, beanies, scarves, gloves, warm coats, and toiletries to the homeless directly or to organisations like Salvos, St Vincents, Wesley, Melbourne City Mission, ADRA, Pinch-a-poo, Swags for the homeless, Kids Under Cover, etc.
- Write to your local MP re: the need for affordable housing
- Volunteer at a drop-in centre, food van, or soup kitchen
- Donate a house
- Fundraise and raise awareness
- “Like” the charities on Facebook and share the posts
- Join campaigns towards affordable housing
- Participate in the Homelessness week events and activities Aug 1-8
- Volunteer time and money regularly
We may not be able to feed the world, but we can feed one. We may not be able to prevent wars, but we can heal personal relationships. We may not be able to reform national or international politics, but we can vote. We may not be able to change hearts, but we can humble ours.
Jesus has left us an example of laying down His life for us. As we too carry His cross of unselfish service and sacrifice, we will experience true satisfaction in our search for meaning and security. As we love as He loves, we will find the rest and community that our souls crave in this unsettled life of isolated screen time.
Then we can echo the sentiment reflected in the last line of A Tale of Two Cities, though lesser known than its first, but far more beautiful for its redemptive refrain (spoiler alert! the protagonist realises that individual sacrifice and love, however insignificant it may seem in the scale of the darkness and disaster all around, can impact generations and leave a legacy that endures):
“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known” (A Tale of Two Cities, last line).
by: Jinha Kim
"But those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14