Social Justice and God’s Math

God’s ways are not our ways and thank God for that.  We look at things with our limited logic and think there is no way that 1 + 1 = 3 (our US government being the exception).  God looks at impossible equations and says, “watch and see my glory.”

A couple of the best examples of God’s math are found in the Gospels.  Not once, but twice, Jesus feeds thousands of people with just a few loaves of bread and fish.  Amazing as this was, many people still did not get it.

God is still doing amazing math today and we still do not get it.  It does not work out logically so we tend to see the problem as too large.  We often do not want to confront a large problem if it appears impossible.  This is especially true if the problem is not our own.  It’s easier to ignore it than to risk looking like Don Quixote fighting a windmill.

Social justice issues are like this.

World poverty is overwhelming.  In 2005 it was reported that over 3 billion people live off less than $2.50 a day.  1 billion children live in poverty – this is 1 in every 2 kids. (see Global Issues)

The world wide HIV epidemic is overwhelming.  In 2007 33 million people were infected with HIV.  2 million of these were children. (see Avert.org)

The number of orphans in the world is overwhelming.  I have to copy this entire list of statistics here…

Every  15 SECONDS,  another child becomes an AIDS orphan in Africa

Every  DAY  5,760  more children become orphans

Every  YEAR  2,102,400  more children become orphans (in Africa alone)

143,000,000 Orphans in the world today spend an average of 10 years in an orphanage or foster home

Approximately 250,000 children are adopted annually, but…

Every  YEAR  14,050,000  children still grow up as orphans and AGE OUT of the system

Every  DAY  38,493  children AGE OUT

Every  2.2 SECONDS, another orphan child AGES OUT with no family to belong to and no place to call home

In Ukraine and Russia 10% -15% of children who age out of an orphanage commit suicide before age 18.

60% of the girls are lured into prostitution.

70% of the boys become hardened criminals.

Many of these children accept job offers that ultimately result in their being sold as slaves.  Millions of girls are sex slaves today, simply because they were unfortunate enough to grow up as orphans.

(see Home for Good Foundation)

I don’t know about you, but I look at these numbers and I think, “What can I do?”

That’s the wrong question.  The question is, “What can God do?”  Followed by, “God, let me a part of your equation.”

I have a real life example of how God’s math works.

A co-worker of mine found out we were adopting (1 less orphan).  He asked me for information because his son and daughter-in-law could not have any more children and were looking at adoption as an option (2 less orphans).  I sent him information from our agency (All God’s Children) and information on domestic adoptions from another friend of mine at work that has adopted two babies domestically.  My co-worker’s son shared this information with a friend of his.  That friend is now in the process of adopting from Ethiopia (3 less orphans).  Have you heard of this before?  I tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on and so on.

I know the cynics out there are probably not too impressed.  But neither were the disciples as they looked into the basket and saw just five loaves and two small fish.

God will be glorified in the social injustice in this world.  Let him use you as part of the equation.

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