Lebanon: does giving have a limit? Question: So we all have our needs and our wants, and like many, I am blessed to not lack any essential needs at all. At the moment I was thinking about how I want to visit my brother, sisters and family who live around 7000km away, but I'm aware that with the same thousands that I can spend on my want to see my family, can probably keep someone else's family from starving for a month. Is it not just selfish for live like almost everyone else I know does, to satisfy our wants while there are so many who doesn't even have the smallest of their essential needs....and it's not like we can't do anything about it, we can.
Is it right for me to buy a new expensive car because I can, because it looks better and is more comfortable if I can settle for a much cheaper one and the rest of the money can actually provide the very main needs for someone to simply survive. Is it right for me to party, eat as much as I like, wear jewellery, make up, play games, travel, use the internet simply for entertainment, feed and clean dogs/cats/rodents and all this normal life activities, when many humans has nothing to eat, no water to clean themselves and basically have less than the dogs/cats/rodents that are in my house! Is it right for me to sleep and hang out with friends if the same amount of time can be used to teach someone something they need to know or helping someone with something. Is it right for me to spend time with friends and family, get married, have my own family and give my own children the same privileged life I have if there are so many children who has no family or anything they need! Is it wrong for me to sit back and enjoy a romantic relationship while time passes by and some people's spouse, or loved ones are probably dying somewhere.
You get the idea. So if I really went with my convictions, then I must give up all I want, and concentrate on others' needs, because I only need, what I need. What are your thoughts?
Answer:
Very noble thoughts & worthy questions you are asking ....I guess that there is no simple answer . As a Christian I believe that we are called to live in the world but not of the world ...that is to adopt a way of life whereby we give generously both of ourselves & our resources...you see the Bible teaches that to whom God has given plenty , plenty is expected ...not just our finances but our time , talents & any other gifts we might have.
We can't help the less fortunate unless we have resources to do so & those resources are usually provided by our own labour ...wanting to have some comforts in life is not a sin ...what is a sin is to waste the resources we have ...our world is full of waste & in most cases we aren't even aware we're doing it ! As for feeling guilty about seeing your family...don't be . Respecting & loving your family ... wanting to see them is the right thing to do.
I went down the very same path you're going down many years ago ..took a stocktake of my life & made changes ..it was the best thing I've ever done & has affected my outlook on life to this very day.
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