Of human kindness

Tugging at our heartstrings is the job of professional charities, and they do a great job. Those that can afford to plug away on the television and airways or take out quarter page ads in the dailies have great turnovers. I would estimate that each week at least two charities’ appeals would land on my desk, and perhaps one direct appeal by phone per week on average. Even before the Victorian bushfire disaster, Australians were well known for their extraordinary generosity. There has always been the fear of donation ‘burn-out’, yet it has not come to pass.

On the other hand, the very fact that charities are now professional organisations is indicative of the slow passing of the volunteer. They still exist, of course, but they are members of a dying breed: Lions, Apex, Rotary, Guide Dogs, World Vision, RSPCA, Boys’ Town, Camp Quality, Australian Red Cross, St Vinnie’s, and the dozens on medical charities of which there are too many to name. These organisations have orchestrated promotions, coloured brochures, tear off slips, the opportunity to deduct from your credit card or savings account, monthly or however often you would like. But the slice of your $ that is required to operate their fundraising grows the bigger the charity is.

It would seem we would prefer to be at a distance from those in need, and that our generosity is satisfied by the giving of money. It’s indicative of the time-poor world we live in.

In the not too distant past, I’ve knocked on doors collecting for Centacare and Red Cross, letterbox dropped for a variety of causes, I’ll happily buy raffle tickets that save the old growth forests, but which give me the chance to win a car, or a house on the Gold Coast. I put a tick the box for money given to charities in my tax return, but can’t seem to find those very little, miniature receipts when I need to.

When charities were comprised of volunteers, there was a personal commitment from the individual to the aims of the organisation, a compelling rationale, a belief in its mission.

The first disciples possessed such an understanding: their charity was the very love of God itself. Their mission – to take that love, that message, to every door. Mark (6:7 – 13) tells us that Jesus sent them on their way with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a staff – without bread, a bag or money. These men (and women, though unspoken) managed to change and transform a world, not by huge events, but by the face-to-face interaction with their fellow human beings. The best return for the gift offered to you is that you are the beneficiary, the gift is free. If there is a cost, it is the provision of hospitality, of human kindness. Sometimes it is really is a matter of just loving your neighbour, and sometimes you will be asked to save the world.