Starve or a Heart to Share?

This week as I ponder harvest, I am always mindful to be thankful for everything I have and receive, but always think about those who are less fortunate than I am and what I could do to help their situation.

Looking closely at the word HARVEST, I want to play a game of scrabble with the letters. The first word I can make using these letters is STARVE.

STARVE

What does the word STARVE conjure up in your mind?

I personally think about all the children and families around the world who are starving, because they don’t have enough food and clean water to live. I have seen first hand the devastation this causes. Children can’t go to school, and if they do, their education is affected because they are so hungry.

Recently, even in our own affluent nations we have seen an increasing number of people who are having to go without because of the selfish and hoarding behaviours of others during the current global pandemic. They might not be starving in the sense of food but they could be starved of basic necessities in life, for example loo paper or medicines.

These should never ever be an issue… which leads me nicely onto my second scrabble word.

SHARE

I said these issues of people going without should never be an issue. The supermarkets and suppliers have all publicly stated that there is no shortage of goods if people are sensible with their buying habits and buy as they would normally without hoarding. But the public didn’t listen so the supermarkets were forced into rationing goods, to enable them to SHARE them amongst everyone who wants and needs them.

Likewise, on a global scale there is ample food supplies. If the rich countries were to SHARE all their goods with everyone in the world we could eradicate food poverty. Currently, the worlds farmers produce enough food to sufficiently feed over 10 billion people worldwide. There are only 7.6 billion people on Earth!

‘One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.’

Proverbs 11:24-25 (NIV)

Sadly, so many of us are guilty of hoarding things for no reason. We just read in Proverbs about how if we hoard or keep things back from others then we will be spiritually in poverty. But those who give to others and share their goods will gain even more spiritually.

HARVEST

We need to remember that everything belongs to God; our time, talents, wealth and goods. These are our HARVEST gifts. We are trusted to use these gifts wisely, but so often we forget and lose sight of the fact that it was through God giving us these ways and means that we are able to make a living, to live comfortably. Without God providing us with these HARVEST gifts, we too would be left to a live of destitute. We would STARVE.

When we SHARE some of our earthly goods to those in need, God provides us with more blessings. The more we share, the more He shares his love of us, through his continued care and protection.

HEART

Finally I have a bonus word… HEART.

God has a HEART for us, and wants to SHARE his love with us. If we choose to STARVE others by choosing not to SHARE our HARVEST then we can’t see more of his HEART for us.

STARVE - SHARE - HARVEST - HEART