Doing “Small Things With Great Love”

SUMMER JUSTICE SERIES

PART 1: Do With Less

Can you do something today that will change the life of someone on the other side of the planet?  The choices we make everyday impact people–many of them desperately poor–all over the world.  We need to recognize the consequences that result from our decisions.  We may be the land of the free, but as Uncle Ben told Peter Parker, “With great power comes great responsibility.” 

The world is changed one decision at a time.  Our focus here is often how to impact lives around us, but what about thousands in far away lands?  Many of us in the West see pictures and hear stories of poverty and hunger around the globe but feel helpless to do anything about it.  Throughout the summer, this site will look at ways we can help improve the lives of needy men, women, and children across the Earth. 

And we can start right now.

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Earlier this year, Relevant Magazine ran a piece by Texan author Julie Clawson which is based on her 2009 book Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Daily Choices.  She has highlighted ways our lifestyles and purchases impact our neighbors around the world. 

The focus of this summer series is often called social justice, although I would call it The Golden Rule globalized.  Most of us decry suffering when we see it, but it’s easy to feel distanced from far away problems.  We may not be directly doing anything wrong or hurting anybody, but we’re often unaware of the price that’s paid elsewhere so that we can have great items at a low-cost.  As we’ll see, the cost is often higher than we’ve ever known.

Clawson covers some important issues.  Each week I’m going to expand on one of these.  If we can change the lives of people who are hurting by simply altering our daily habits yet don’t, do we become complicit in the suffering of others?  Knowledge is power but must be unleashed through action.  What can you do for “the least of these?”  There’s only one place to begin.