Why is there poverty?

 

I prayed asking our Father this question. “Why is there poverty when there is so much abundance?”

He said to me, “Kevin, the people I created have been asking that question since the beginning of their existence. It is because there is an attitude that it will always exist, so why bother doing anything about it. Poverty lives because there has not been a concerted effort to end it. I hear the suffering of millions of children, teenagers, men and women who are starving, whose hope is dying a little more each day. They will continue to lose hope and die in body and spirit unless humanity takes immediate action to work together to solve the problem of poverty.

Kevin, your underlying question is this. Why do I allow poverty? I ask another question. Why does humankind allow poverty? You have more than enough to feed everyone. There is far too much greed and the love of possessions. People need to learn more what it means to share, to give from what they have to others who are in need.

I cannot change the hearts of those who are hardened to My voice. There are many who are doing all they can to alleviate poverty. Without their love for the poor many millions of people would just give up on life. They would say enough is enough. I’m tired of struggling, of subsisting in poverty. People don’t have to actively commit suicide. They just stop believing life will get any better. They let their poverty kill them. They cry out to Me, ‘If only someone would give me a strong and caring hand up leading to realistic hope that’s all I would need. I would be willing to do my part to climb out of my poverty.’

I gave you sharp minds to come up with solutions to poverty. Why are more of you standing idly by doing nothing? This is a crucial issue that can only be addressed by people from all economic classes and backgrounds sitting down together to end poverty. Please stop saying there are more important issues to deal with. I ask you this. Can you look into the eyes of a poor child and say, ‘I can’t do anything to help you?’ What if you were poor. Wouldn’t you want someone to offer you and your family a hand up?

No one should have to decide between paying their rent or food, but not both. No mother should come to the point of saying to Me, ‘Father, please let my infant die. I can’t endure seeing the light of their hope go out. Take my little one home to be with You where there is no more suffering and pain. My precious child is down to skin and bones. Their stomach is bloated from malnutrition. Please end my child’s life now!’

I hear the heart cry of the mother in Ontario, who has to make a painful decision between having half of a sandwich or an apple, so her hungry child can eat. No mother should ever have to make that choice.

I hear the agony of a child digging through a garbage dump in Thailand for the hope of meat that has gone rotten to eat.

Kevin, you know a young man living in poverty in Kenya. He is trying his hardest to pull his family out of poverty. He is applying to universities in Kenya and other countries. None of them has given him a scholarship.

You have a friendship with a pastor in India. He needs healthy rice for orphan children. The children have to have blankets to protect them from mosquito bites, which if infected by them could cause diseases such as malaria. Each blanket is $6.00. He requires 30 blankets at a cost of $180.

You also know a pastor in Malawi who sees his family, congregation and the many children and adults he ministers often go without two meals in the day.

I see that homeless man on Park Avenue, New York, among the wealthy dying out in the bitter cold from hypothermia.

I see that teenager in Vancouver selling her body for a fix.

I see the alcoholic in Toronto who wants to end their addiction.

I see that abused person in London, England, who wants their living hell to end.

I see all the lonely people in the world asking anyone, someone to love them.

I hurt when all of My children with physical and developmental challenges living in poverty are abused physically, emotionally and sexually.

I feel the suffering of all those with disabilities who ask for that education, internship, and one door to a job, which pulls them out of their poverty.

I see, hear and know about everyone who is dying not just of poverty from hunger, but moreover that slow and agonizing death in their spirit.”

I asked our Lord this last question. “What can I and all of us do to help others out of their poverty of mind, body and spirit?” Our Father said, “Love, learn, listen and act. Love those I bring to you. Learn from the poor. They have many lessons to teach you. Listen to those who suffer, and those who have solutions to reduce and one day eliminate poverty. Put your solutions to it into practical action.

Apart you can do little. Together there is no limit to what you can do when My spirit of love lives within you.

Think of the joy you will feel when you see light in one soul, where before there was only darkness and despair.

You show you care by being there. When you do that My love, My hope like a fire spreads everywhere.

That is the path to end poverty.”

Kevin and Karen Osborne are Christian pastoral counsellors and psychotherapists. Kevin is studying to become a chaplain and professor of Psychology specializing in Pastoral Theology. We have started You Can Hope Again Counselling. Karen enjoys doing cross-stitch while I like writing and singing songs. Karen makes me laugh when she sings the kitty bed-time song saying, “It’s that time. It’s the bestest kitty time of the day!” Kevin enjoys teasing the kitties and making them do kitty dances with music. Their kitty, Catherine, loves it when kitty daddeh sings All Things Bright and Beautiful. Kevin likes doing impressions. He tells children’s stories and helps others with their problems using his hand puppet, Dr. Teddy, who is a therapy bear. He is a partner with us in our counselling practice.We are available to assist with worship and preaching to give busy pastors and ministers a much-needed break. We offer in-office, and phone counselling to anyone in the world.

http://www.youcanhopeagaincounselling.com/