by: Kevin Squires | Sr. Director of International Programs
It is easy to help people. If someone is starving, give them something to eat. If someone is dehydrated, give them a drink. If someone is in rags, offer them some clothes. For the most part, it is not just the gospel truth from Matthew 25; it is basic humanity, for it would be almost inhumane to look upon such things and simply do nothing. Honestly, thousands of sermons have been preached to keep this truth on the brink of our minds so that we never stop serving God by caring for those in need.
What is often lost in this story, however, are the thoughts, feelings, nightmares, and despair of those needing help. Thankfully, in my life, I have rarely been on that end of the spectrum. I have not tasted desperation. I have not been parched with dry, chapped lips. I have not frozen at night with nothing to wrap myself up with. I have been called by God to be the helper—the food delivery guy, the waterboy, the clothes-donator—but never the hungry, the thirsty, or the naked. By the grace of God, I have never had to journey from the darkness of having nothing to the light of being physically rescued from despair—a journey that often requires the strength and faith to do the unthinkable.
To put it more clearly, I have never been blind Bartimaeus.
And as [Jesus] was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, …was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10:46-52 ESV)
In those days, being blind was often seen as a curse. Blind people simply begged for anything they could get, and their cloaks were what gave them permission and identification to beg. Often, their cloak was the only possession they had. It was their living, breathing oxymoron, in that it signified they had nothing, yet it was their everything. However, Bartimaeus threw off his cloak. He threw off his old way of life. He threw off his comfort, his trust, his identity to embrace a new life, wherever that would lead him. His faith was remarkable. He was willing to risk everything, with faith that the One he put his trust in would come through for him. With no eyes to see, he saw Jesus! He expected a miracle. A miracle that he ended up getting!
In 2016, after years of partnering with churches around the world to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, and clothe the naked, we brainstormed ways to help usher widows in Ethiopia out of the darkness of extreme poverty and into the light of family preservation. We just needed someone willing to take a risk with us. We just needed someone willing to lay aside their cloak and follow. We just needed a Bartimaeus…or two. Thankfully, God led us to four. Four women (mostly Muslim or Orthodox), willing to trust an unknown program, built around an unknown concept to them (microloans), and administered by a church of a different faith (Christian). Four women decided to throw off their cloaks for a new life. Four women were willing to trust God, expecting a miracle. A miracle they received in full!
Those four women entered our four-year Economic Empowerment program, learned about the importance of savings, received counseling from their local church about godly stewardship and giving, studied and created small business plans, opened small businesses, and sustained them year over year. They became a part of our first Economic Empowerment graduation class in 2020 where nine other widows joined them. In 2021, fourteen more widows joined them. Lord willing, twenty-five more widows are currently on track to join them in 2022, with 164 others on track to join them in the coming years. As more and more widows throw off their cloaks, the road from darkness to light is getting crowded, and it is a beautiful sight!
The beauty of all of this is these widows are not just flourishing financially, many of them are coming to Christ as their Lord and Savior. Their journey through a life of darkness has shown them that true light comes through Jesus. When we asked what the microloan has done for her, Debritu, a 70-year-old Ethiopian widow raising her grandchildren, said, “Jesus has resurrected my life!”
Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (ESV) May we all throw off our cloaks today and put our faith and trust in him!