Coronavirus and Charity: A Call Everyone Must Answer
We live in a dangerous time. A time darkened by personal materialism, self-interest, and self-preservation, above care for other folks next door. It is such an extraordinary time that men of substance and goodwill respond to a certain call to care and stand together as one through love and kindness. Or rather perish as fools.
Extraordinary Time
The times have been worsened by a deadly virus, called COVID-19, which continually sends terror across the spines of all humanity. The domino effect is not only identical to a particular continent, but it’s felt and reverberated through the length and breadth of the entire globe.
Nation after nation is panicky and hopeless over the grim reaper that daily cost human lives unabated. Let’s say the world is standing on its last legs.
Every turn you make you hear the news across the corner and all media. Every bend you take, you constantly sight gathering folks in hush tone about the numbers of death recorded by the hour.
The fear is not among adults alone. Even toddlers sniff it in the air. It is just like watching a motion picture of Walking Dead or reading one of Stephen King’s novels, especially ‘Pulse.’ The question that continually begs for an answer is when would this malignant disease stop!
Only wise men who understand the season of the time or who know by the books can decipher the plague.
While the world leaders watch and preach sit-at-home until the seemingly confused scientists find a cure, I have a word on the matter that benefits all.
In fact, Africa is not spared. Nigeria’s government has declared a sit-at-home for the next two weeks joining other nations in the curfew.
Courageous moves
The daily news has it that some kindhearted public figures in the society are charitable to the cause of fighting the deadly coronavirus. This comes in the form of donations and aids off their wealth to bring a quick end to the menace. This is laudable and commendable.
However, there is a jolt in the populace response. Of the truth, many big men let go off a fraction of their wealth, while the other well-to-do members of the society look the other way. This must be discouraged! Everyone has to help little as it may be.
I cannot afford to keep asking myself how I could help save the world in my little way. With just little savings to keep me till next month, I must do something. My car electrician accosted me and demanded help yesterday. What do I do? I let go off of my savings, of course.
When I got home yesterday, I just could not still sleep. I was just thinking about millions of poor and low-income earners families like me who do not have anything to live on. I had to give a few people around me something I mustered. And that I did to someone.
A call to action
This is a clarion call for you to donate aids to friends, families, and folks next door, who would be caught in the curfew declaration by the government.
This is a time to show the human side to the homeless, orphans, widows, men of God, etc. You cannot afford to be silent when millions are perishing in lack and poverty, through no fault of their own. This is a time all men need to come together and save one another. In so during, we are saving ourselves. Do not turn blind eyes to cry of other fellows. What unites us is greater than what divides us. Christians, Muslims, pagans, sinners, saints, gays, straights are all created by all one God.
Zarephath message
Christians especially are to display Christlikeness to others through love and sharing at this time. Remember the story of a widow of Zarephath who offered her family’s last meal to Prophet Elijah during a time of famine (1 King 17:8). The timing could not be other than this. A time darkened by hopelessness, self-preservation, and possessiveness. We all need to be like the widow who saw an opportunity in the midst of terror and outbreak. She recognizes the period to be rewarded for her faith. She envisioned time to receive good testimony from God (Hebrew 11:2). It was an extraordinary time in Israel when everyone has a reason to abandon God and follow personal dictates. An extraordinary time to keep little you have for yourself and die in pieces. But she didn’t result in a path of a lesser human being. Rather, a greater and higher ground of reward. She did offer all to the prophet Elijah and she was glad she did in that she never lacked bread even till after the plague.
Such a time is this, as Christian, to stand out and receive lifetime blessings by opening up our storehouses to the poor.
GIVE AND RECEIVE BOUNTIFULLY!
