Deafening Silence

Internet and television inundate us with well intended directives. Go green! End world hunger now! Promote peace! But to what extent do these canned messages really make a difference? Maybe just by parroting the right phrase, or wearing the politically correct t-shirt, we feel like we’ve done our part. Really, how can I end world hunger now, anyway? Isn’t someone else doing something really big somewhere like collecting food, or selling CDs? I think there’s a worldwide concert somewhere….isn’t there?

“What are you personally doing to end world hunger?” That pointed question was posed to a congregation in a small, rural church a few years ago just before Thanksgiving. I was there for the uncomfortable soul searching session.

Many of us had brought in our canned pumpkin or stuffing mix for the food collection. ‘Well, he’s not talking about me, I did my part,’ was the collective grumbling.

The pastor was uncharacteristically brief in his sermon, but the second question was enough to drive home the point.

“Have any of you invited the homeless woman on Main Street to your house for Thanksgiving dinner?”

With that, he walked away from the podium.

The silence in that church was deafening.

I don’t know if anyone invited her that year, but I know that we didn’t. Our family talked about it all the way home, but we didn’t do anything. The kids wanted to. In their simple understanding of the world, this was something tangible. But Jim and I were reluctant.

And so, we put the subject to rest by justifying in our minds that we were actually protecting our family.

The answer, or at least our small part of the answer was so clear, so simple. Still, why did I do nothing?
I think about this a lot and always end up in the same place. I was afraid of connecting with her. If I got to know her, how could I let her continue to suffer?

This T-Day, try to see the faces of the people who need you. Instead of trying to end world hunger, change one day for one person.
Our monthly Together We Can Change the World Day is about joining together to make a conscious difference.
Please visit our website at www.togetherwecanchangetheworldday.com and scroll across available service projects and add your own.