I got to stand up and take a step

I posted a Facebook Status recently about the call from a number of quarters to reduce or eliminate foreign aid, to give the government more money to spend here in the UK, and therefore reduce the "cuts" which are causing so much pain. I was pretty vocal about why I think this is the wrong thing to do.

In my opinion, the amount of aid we give is pretty paltry, compared to the amount we (the western world) have, and continue to, exploit the human and natural resources of the third world. Whilst the amount of Fairtrade products available (and presumably therefore purchased) has increased rapidly in the last few years, this is still just a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of non-Fairtrade goods which we buy from the third world, and whilst the efforts of the Jubilee 2000 campaign, the Make Poverty History campaign, and the ongoing campaigns of organisations such as One have resulted in massive reductions in third world debt, there are still vast amounts of interest payments being levyed by the so called first world against the third world...

But of course, its not just about governments. In fact, leaving it just to the government is a denial of our responsibility in this stuff. Actually, its our lifestyle choices which impact the quality of life of many hundreds or thousands of people in the third world. If I choose to buy chocolate made by a company who imports cocoa beans grown on plantations which use traffiked child labour, then I am responsible for that Traffiking. I need to stand up and say "No, I don't want to be part of that".

Will it change things overnight? Of course not. But if everyone who is concerned by this sort of stuff takes a step then actually, it could change the world.

And even if it doesn't change things, its still the right thing to do. I was reading Isaiah 58 the other day -- which Jesus quotes in Matthew 25 - its clear that care for the poor, the disadvantaged, the oppressed is God's heart... and true faith, true worship of him always includes an element of care for all those around us. So, I'll do my bit, take my stand, and trust in him to take care of the bigger picture.