In this last installment of the values we hold dear at Wichita Falls Faith Mission, I want to take a look at two that really go hand-in-hand. …
Personal Responsibility
And Self Sufficiency.
It is always our hope that every person that enters our shelters will be able to someday provide for themselves and their families. That is our definition of self-sufficiency. Of course, as a Christian organization that strives to be Christ-centered in all we do, we realize that as hard as we might try, we are never fully self-sufficient. By using that phrase, we don’t mean to imply that we don’t need God. We hope that a self-sufficient person realizes that their ability to provide for themselves comes from God.
We also realize that it does no one any long term good to give them everything they need. We uphold personal responsibility as a core value because we believe that God has a purpose for every person. We also believe that there is dignity in providing for oneself.
In Leviticus 19:9-10, God instructed the people that when they harvested their fields, they were to leave the corners and the edges. They were also told by God to leave the fallen fruit when they gathered for, “the needy and for the stranger.”
The idea was that those without could go into the fields and gather what they needed. This was called gleaning.
You may remember that the widow Ruth provided for her mother-in-law, Naomi by gleaning in the fields of Boaz. You can find that story in Ruth chapter 2.
When you dig deeper into the principle of gleaning from God’s Word, you can see that not only were the needs of the poor provided for, but they also had to gather it themselves. They didn’t go begging for their next meal, but instead they, worked for it. They were able to preserve their dignity and provide for themselves.
This is our desire for everyone. That they discover their God-given purpose and accomplish it themselves. The help we provide is hopefully seen as a launching pad for their new life of personal responsibility and self-sufficiency.
It is an honor to help them. We try to never begrudge anyone of the help they need, but we want them to eventually start helping themselves. To be dependent on God and not us.
I hope you will check out our programs and services at faithmissionwf.org and see for yourself the many ways we lead others to help themselves.
