We’re publishing pictures of poverty on a daily basis at picturesofpoverty.com. They are meant to show the dignity and hope which can be found in extreme poverty, if you look, despite the oppression poverty inflicts upon them

They’re also meant to show Christ’s presence amid the lie of poverty.

You are free to copy and distribute the images on picturesofpoverty.com in accordance with the Creative Commons license (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported).

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When I read stories from our field offices about people coming to know Christ as their Savior, I get really excited. Over the past few weeks stories about Eva, Anthony and Awa have really stood out to me.

What struck me about each of their stories were the actions of the Christian community serving them — actions that showed there is something truly different about this Jesus … something that is, in fact, life changing.

Our faith is important and so is prayer, but actions … well, actions speak volumes our words cannot. In James 2:14-16 (NASB) the apostle Paul says,

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?”

Over the Christmas season I read Paper Angels by Jimmy Wayne and Travis Thrasher. It’s an inspiring novel about two families whose lives touch through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program.

In case you do not know, the Angel Tree program is one where you choose a child in need and buy Christmas gifts for that child.

It’s a tangible way to help others less fortunate than you know they are loved and are not forgotten at Christmas time.

In the novel, Kevin struggles to keep his young family afloat with his ailing business.

And Thomas, well, Thomas is a teen living in poverty who is determined not to let his poverty get the best of him.

Both characters are fighting tough times, and through their actions God shows up and they each discover that, as bleak as life looks, it doesn’t have to stay that way.

As I read Paper Angels and reflected on Eva, Anthony and Awa, I saw the ugly thread of poverty’s lies woven throughout their personal stories.

Lies like You will die alone; Dreams aren’t for you; and Bullies always win, so don’t bother fighting.

Yet in Paper Angels, as in real life, it was the actions of those called to be the hands and feet of Jesus that brought light to the truth.

Truth that says You are not alone; Dreams do come true; and Bullies are broken people who need Jesus and have no power over you.

Christmas is over and, for many of us, our heightened awareness of the needs of others dulls over time. So I am challenging myself and you: What can we do in this new year to dispel the lies children in poverty live with 24/7?

You could sponsor a child – of course, I’m a huge supporter of that! But what about local programs like CASA or Big Brothers and Big Sisters? Or does your church or community have an outreach program for single parents?

I know life gets busy and overwhelming at times, but if we all just do a little bit, a whole lot of ground will be covered.

Any action you take on behalf of a child living in poverty says to that precious person, You are seen; You are loved; and most especially, You matter to Jesus.

In 2012, will you be the action that shows the love of Jesus to others? And if you need a little inspiration throughout the year, read Paper Angels. It’ll touch your heart and motivate you when you need it most.

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Even though you smell like sewage on the outside, you smell like Jesus on the inside.

You’re poor because you’re a sinner. You’re poor because God hates you.

These are the words I remember the most from my childhood.

I was convinced that these words were true.

I wanted to prove to God that I’m a good boy and that He can love me. – Anthony Njoroge

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When does a boy become a man?

He becomes a man when he needs to.

When Ann introduced you to Jonathan on Saturday she called him a child. I call him a man.

Even though Jonathan is just 15 years old, he is a man. He has to be.

Jonathan’s mother abandoned the family when he was 4. And his father walked out of Jonathan’s daily life not long after.

Jonathan lived in the jungle with his grandparents when his father moved to the city to find work. But last year when death took his grandparents, Jonathan’s father didn’t return. He stayed in the city – with his favorite son – and left Jonathan alone to care for himself.

Living in the jungle is isolating, which is why most people in Jonathan’s community are quiet and reserved. However, Jonathan is quiet for another reason as well; he’s hurting deeply.

And this is why I say he is a man. Jonathan refuses to succumb to the temptation of silence and isolation.

When we visited him on Friday, he allowed us into his home and shared his story with us. He embraced vulnerability, trusted us, and rose above the lies poverty is trying to convince him are real.

In the midst of poverty, from a life of loneliness, Jonathan demonstrates a rare nobility. He stands tall.

Although his life is incredibly difficult, Jonathan is maturing personally, spiritually and morally in the Body of Christ.

When a boy needs comfort he turns to his mother, or he turns to things in this world. When a man needs comfort, he turns to the Lord.

Jonathan told us that sometimes when he’s lonely he rests in his hammock and sings to God.

Jonathan isn’t a man because of his wisdom and behavior in desperate circumstances, although those are characteristics of manhood. He’s a man because he knows that God’s grace is sufficient for him, that God’s power is made perfect in human weakness.

When does a boy become a man?

He becomes a man when he needs to, regardless of age. For some, manhood comes at 15. For others, it may come at 50. And for a few, it may never come at all.

Being an adult male and being a man are not the same thing. A boy becomes a man when he understands and consistently demonstrates through humble surrender to God that the Lord’s strength abounds in human frailty.

From what I saw in Jonathan, I think I can learn a thing or two about being a man.

Sponsor a child in Ecuador.

Sponsor a child in Jonathan’s child development center (EC-273) or a center near him.

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At Compassion, we often refer to poverty as a liar. We’ve come to understand how the evil of poverty speaks into the lives of its victims, telling them that the cycle cannot be broken.

Poverty tells children not to dream. Dreams are for the rich. It tells their parents not to hope. Hope is for those with a future. It whispers to the sick, “You will never afford to be healthy.”

To the hungry, poverty growls in the pit of their stomachs, “You’ll never be full.” To the downtrodden, the forgotten, the abused and neglected, poverty boldly proclaims, “You don’t matter. That’s why you’re poor. Because you’re not important enough to survive.”

Sadly, millions have bought into the lie. We see it in sullen, desperate faces and hear it in tearful cries of anguish.

Yet poverty’s other lie is just as powerful.

Poverty also lies to us. Yes, us … some of the wealthiest people in the world. Through overwhelming statistics and dire images on the evening news, poverty tricks us into believing the problem is too big. It tells us that our arms can never reach around the globe to help the most vulnerable. It tells us that our efforts will always be too small. Meaningless.

For too long, we have listened to this lie. We believed without questioning. We accepted without debate or discussion.

It’s time to debate. It’s time to discuss.

It’s time to bring down this lie.

Because the truth is, we CAN make a difference. We DO make a difference. No, we ARE making a difference.

The truth is that the number of people living in extreme poverty has been cut in half in the last generation. In half! Our generation could very well bring that to zero – if we don’t buy into the lie.

Millions are surviving health threats that would’ve killed them just 10 years ago – malaria, diarrhea and other preventable illnesses. We’ve cut in half the number of children in the developing world who die before their 5th birthday. Lives are being changed.

And this should come as no surprise. That very truth was laid out for us in Isaiah 58. We’re told that if we “loose the chains of injustice”, if we spend ourselves “in behalf of the hungry” and “satisfy the needs of the oppressed,” our “light will rise in the darkness” and our “night will become like noonday.”

When the light comes on, the lies of the dark are exposed. Monsters are powerless. Poverty’s harrowing shadow cowers in fear.

Poverty’s other lie has been exposed.

The poor, the hurting, the neglected, the abused, the forgotten … they DO matter. And what we do to help is significant. It’s epic. It’s biblical. It’s Christ-like.

That’s the truth.

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How can children in poverty think above their circumstances when their parents are likely teaching them that this is just how life is?

How do children in poverty seek a future when they have been taught to survive just for today?

How do children in poverty even begin to believe they have a future when poverty is telling them that they are not worth anything?

This got me thinking about the things I thought about when I was a child.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

I was asked this often. And I assume you probably were, too.

I remember changing my answer every month, sometimes more. In my mind there were no barriers, no setbacks, and no reason why I couldn’t be a cowgirl and also own a French bakery.

Looking back on it, I realize I also had a very healthy outlook on my life. I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up because someone told me that I would live past tomorrow, I would go to college, and I would have the freedom to pursue what I’m passionate about.

As you can imagine, the outlook for a child in poverty is quite different.

When the Compassion Bloggers and I visited Life Streams Student Ministries Center, the center’s director shared with us a proverb that is prevalent in the Philippines:

“If your blanket is too small, you must find a way to fit into your blanket so you can survive.”

Almost immediately she went on,

“We challenge that proverb. We tell the children, ‘If your blanket is too small, why not change the blanket?’”

There it is. In an atmosphere of love and nurture, the poverty mindset  is challenged a little. The child’s outlook is influenced toward hope, maybe for the first time. Maybe, after hearing this, a child pauses and thinks,

“It doesn’t have to always be like this.”

And Life Streams doesn’t stop there.

They have a plan for the children. A plan they call “My Plan for Tomorrow.”

The children have folders that are used to challenge them to start thinking about their future. In each folder is a sheet that the child fills out weekly.

The child is responsible for charting his or her time each week, and the center workers and volunteers check the chart to see how the child’s mindset is being challenged and influenced.

And here’s the chart’s legend:

• Red = time spent in school and studying
• Blue = time spent with family
• Green = time spent communing with God (e.g., praying, journaling, Bible study)
• Yellow = time spent by themselves (e.g., listening to music, coloring, reading)
• Pink = time spent working toward their dream (e.g., If the child wants to be a chef, what is he doing to pursue becoming a chef? Is he practicing? Researching? Is he able to talk to someone who is a chef?)

And while the children learn to be good stewards of their time, they also learn that they can be doing something today that will help achieve their dream for the future.

Yes, they are given the freedom to start dreaming. They are told that they have hope for a future — one that doesn’t have to be controlled by poverty.

This is how we, with your help, break the cycle of poverty and challenge the mindset of a child so he or she can look forward to a brighter future.

Maybe you can take some time today to write your sponsored child and ask what he or she wants to be as a grown-up. Maybe you can start challenging your child’s mindset, too.

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“At its very core, poverty is a mindset that goes far beyond the tragic circumstances. It is the cruel, destructive message that gets whispered into the ears of millions by the enemy Satan himself: ‘Give up! You don’t matter. Nobody cares about you. Look around you: Things are terrible. Always have been, always will be. Think back. Your grandfather was a failure. Your parents couldn’t protect or take care of you. Now it’s your turn. You, too, will fail. So just give up!’” — Wess Stafford

The internal condition of poverty is one of disempowerment, fatalism, hopelessness and lack of initiative. The person in this condition will often be a victim of his circumstances rather than an agent of positive change in his community.

That person’s extremely low self-view will translate into a low regard for others and likely into damaged relationships. Damaged relationships then reciprocate and reinforce the message of worthlessness.

The belief that “it won’t get any better” may undermine initiative. It may not matter how many opportunities are created, because the effort of striving, risking and capitalizing on those opportunities requires a belief in the possibility of a better future.

The majority of individuals in that state are incapable of transformational development. To sum it up in one word, they lack hope, and hope is a major engine of growth and wellness.

The marred identity includes a self-view of powerlessness, of being victim to circumstance, of not only low self-esteem but also a projection of low value on others in the community.

When one sees poverty as having its root in human identity [self-concept], then it profoundly impacts the strategies chosen for development.

When one defines poverty primarily as an internal condition resulting from external devaluing messages, it holds significant implications for poverty-fighting strategies. One must ask:

• How and when did the internal condition become entrenched?
• How can “the lie” be exposed and the person freed from its oppression?
• Can we prevent it from being heard or being believed?

It also becomes clear that when the lie is deeply entrenched in adults it is difficult to reverse. However, intervening early in childhood offers the best opportunity to reverse or prevent the lie from gaining traction in the identity-shaping stages of human development.

There are pivotal moments in human development, defining moments, that shape long-term self view and identity. Those pivotal moments must be won by truth and not by “the lie.”

• The lie speaks in abuse; the truth must protect.
• The lie speaks by ignoring; the truth must listen.
• The lie criticizes; the truth must praise.
• The voice of truth must carry throughout the early and most vulnerable stage of human development to break the power of the lie.

The statement “poverty is a lie” is not meant to deny the reality of poverty. Poverty is absolutely real. Nor is the statement meant to imply that overcoming poverty is as simple as a change of mind. And the statement certainly does not mean to blame the victim in the sense that they were the person who chose to believe the lie.

Rather, the concept conveys the idea that we are surrounded by false messages about who we are — about our nature, power and value. These messages mask the truth of our identity:

We are people made in the image of God, granted unique talents by God and capable of receiving the Holy Spirit. We are dearly loved by God.

All of us believe “the lie” to some degree, but for the poor it is debilitating.

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Is it safe to challenge the status quo? No. It’s not. Post completed.

Challenge is an aggressive word. It suggests victory … or loss. It implies a struggle and change, possibly forced change. Change creates uncertainty for people. And uncertainty breeds worry and fear.

Asking people questions about what they believe and why they believe it is challenging. It’s often deemed unacceptable. People feel threatened and get defensive. It’s uncomfortable. Should we do it? Yes.

Critical thinking strengthens convictions and reveals the weakness in purely emotional responses. Emotion is not bad. It is also powerful. But it varies in intensity and can waver altogether. Conviction is a rock.

Should we challenge the status quo? Should we challenge the established way of thinking or doing things? Absolutely.

Jesus did. He challenged people’s idea of the Messiah. And He continues to challenge us to change our normal.

But what happens when I run into the rock of someone else’s conviction? Good things happen. Bad things happen. Anything is possible. I could affect change or I could get hurt — emotionally, financially, even physically.

When it comes to poverty, the established way of thinking for children in poverty — “I don’t matter” — is filled with hopelessness. The established way of thinking in poverty is a lie.

But Compassion’s work challenges this. Our sponsorship challenges this. With our sponsorship we’re telling our children to “think differently.” Believe. Hope.

Changing how I think changes how I act. And changing how I think is difficult. It’s not usually quick. It requires perseverance and commitment, which often seem in short supply when habit and convenience are present.

I value safety and comfort a great deal. They’re warm and cozy. But it wasn’t warm and cozy on the cross.

Challenging our status quo is required if we’re to grow.

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” — Isaiah 58:6 (NIV)

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What is Compassion International all about?

Well, first and foremost, we’re about Jesus. We are Christ centered. We “release children from poverty in Jesus’ name.” We work through the local church, and we work in response to the Great Commission.

We demonstrate what we’re about in how we behave – what we do and how we do it.

We’re child focused. We develop children. Each child we serve is ministered to personally, and each church partner we work with tailors its programs to meet the specific needs of the children in its community. We help children in poverty become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults. We give them an opportunity to succeed.

As we do this, we refute the lie of poverty and are that much closer to eliminating extreme poverty altogether.

But how we go about fighting extreme poverty contrasts with how other organizations work toward the same goal. We fight poverty personally, while many organizations fight it communally.

I don’t mean that other organizations aren’t personally invested or committed to eliminating extreme poverty. I mean that a child-focused, child development approach to fighting poverty is distinctly different from a broader, community development approach.

I believe that community development is important work, and I suspect that everyone at Compassion would agree it’s important. But as Tony Neeves, our Vice President of International Development, says, we don’t agree that community development is the best approach to eliminating extreme poverty because over the years we’ve learned that changed circumstances rarely change people’s lives and changed people inevitably change their circumstances.

So, which method do you think is more effective?

What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of each? Do the two methods complement one another or work against one another?

And if you had complete control over limited resources to use in the fight against poverty, how would you approach it? Would you focus on children, on communities or something else?

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Do you really?

I’ll be honest with you, I don’t care about the poor.

If I cared, I’d be more like Bono or Mother Teresa or even Wess Stafford — someone with influence and name recognition, someone with a story. If I cared, I’d do more, right? If I cared, I’d dedicate my life to serving the poor — as their champion, as their savior.

That may be a bit dramatic, but every day I battle a voice that constantly tells me I’m deficient as a person. The voice is aggravating, stupid, persistent, strong and above all, wrong. But despite the latter, fighting the voice is still the central focus of my waking hours. Ugh!

And despite what the voice is trying to convince me of, I do care. And I’m afraid.

I’m afraid of getting out of my comfort zone. I’m afraid of surrendering control. I’m afraid of what it might mean to have my behavior demonstrate that I care. What might that cost me?

Because I’m impatient, abrupt, often rude, condescending and even downright mean, the lie of poverty gains traction with me:

“If you cared, you’d be kinder. If you cared, you’d demonstrate love better. If you cared, you’d be more patient.”

And most days, I’m sad to say, this reasoning seems to make sense, which is baffling when I think about it because if I am patient, I’m just that … patient.

Attentiveness, patience, happiness, calmness, those are all behaviors and behavior is the fruit I bear — good or bad — but it is not who I am. And the absence of that fruit doesn’t mean I don’t care.

But what if the lie is actually the truth? What if I’m wrong and I don’t really care about the poor? Am I evil?

The Rev. Malcolm Duncan said, “When we fail to stand up for the poor, we fail to stand up for God,” and I believe that.

But the lie of poverty takes my belief and wraps it in guilt to convince me that I don’t really care about the poor, that I’m just doing what I think I’m supposed to be doing, that if I really cared I’d have more joy about it, and by extension I’m a bad person because I don’t have that.

On and on it goes. It’s sick really. The lie of poverty is sick!

Who cares about the poor? God does. Which is good for me because although my economic situation says I’m not poor, that’s a lie too.

And it’s good for you too because the lie I hear is the same lie I know you’ve heard a time or two,

“My sponsorship doesn’t make a difference.”

And it’s the same lie that your sponsored child fights every day,

“You don’t matter. No one cares about you.”

Who cares about the poor? Who cares about us?

God does.

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