Feb
17
There is a legend of a wanderer who rounded a corner to see a large giant asleep on its side. Fearing that the giant would stir and threaten, the wanderer hid in nearby brush keeping an eye on the sleeping beast. After several hours the giant was gone – but not because it stirred and rose in gargantuan power. Curiously the wanderer watched as the extremities of the imposing beast shimmered and gradually dissolved into small, energetic dwarves – they eagerly exited out of the large form and headed out into the forests and byways. Then the arms one by one similarly dissolved into a host of duty bound sprites and so on until the giant was transformed into hundreds of energetic souls each slipping away to an appointed task. From the hiding place, the wanderer could see, there was no beast at all. The fearful form was transformed by the purposeful tasks of dedicated people one by one.
This is how I see hunger. Its shadowy, large, painful figure is blocking the road of hope. But this is also how I have seen the transformation of its beastliness….I see the hope of shimmering transformation through the simple energy of individuals willing to do their part. Like Eric Cooper, Director of the San Antonio Food bank telling of the search for his missing father. Surprised to find him hungry and on the street, he was changed forever when taking his dad to a nearby Denny’s the waitress ignored the elder man and asked Eric if he wanted a table for one. “No, no,” he blurted out, “this is my dad.”…. “No hungry person is invisible to me anymore,” Eric said. This is a picture of the Texas Hunger Initiative, a host of small acts that dismantle a giant. Bill Ludwig, USDA is sure that “No child should go to bed hungry in this country, especially in Texas.” And he means it – he passed out map after map showing where hungry children still have a gap for nutrition. “We are looking for matchmakers who can fill the gap for just a few children.” It is not much –not much effort, not much time, not much diversion from a busy life. But packing a backpack lunch or spreading sandwiches that are loaded on a delivery truck can dismantle a hunger giant.
As simple as 1,2,3….for summer 2010 a giant can be dispelled for thousands of Texas children. Every community has summer feeding sites but many of the families nearby, don’t know where to go, or when.
#1 Would you be willing to join others on May 22th to walk and pray through neighborhoods to pass out flyers that show parents and children where to get meals all summer? The beast would lose a leg thanks to you.
#2 would you be a willing volunteer to serve meals or help kids at a site that needs a few more hands on deck? This is as simple as a weekly shift, or even providing playtime games for kids that gather. Literally, it’s child’s play.
#3 Would you be willing to dismantle a beast of hunger by joining with a mission church, apartment complex or school to serve summer meals where none are available now? Many communities need a new summer site to fill the gap for hungry children, especially in neighborhoods that have recently grown or have new families moving in.
You are not alone. The Texas Hunger Initiative is marshalling an army of willing hands. Jeremy Everett, Director of the THI remarked that he looks forward to answering his young children in a few years. He wants to hear them ask incredulously, “You mean there were people in Texas who were not fed? I cannot even imagine that!” It is my hope that he can answer… “Yes, you see there used to be a massive hunger beast in the road, but little by little it dissolved away. And if you look right over here, you’ll see the ordinary people who equipped with nothing but compassionate Christian love made it go away.”
Be ye doers of the word and the relevance of the gospel will dismantle a dark and lingering beast.
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