Project Emily Advent: Day 6
If you could give $10 million to any charity, which would you choose?
How might you answer this question? I think it’s beautiful that each of us may answer this question very differently. The cause which stirs your heart may be different than the one that stirs mine. Each of us was born with our own ache, a yearning to see justice, rightness, in one particular longing of humanity. Sometimes the ache seems to come out of nowhere, like we were born with it, like it came hardwired in our very being. Our experiences can help to form our ache, to be sure. The first time you get to know someone who is unhoused. The first time you visit a place where children sleep in streets and eat from piles of garbage. Or grasp the unrelenting tragedy of childhood cancer. The vast need in the world will hit you like a tsunami. And the ache doesn’t leave.
My ache is for mothers. Particularly, those who are mothering alone. I have a fair bit of experience working with mothers, in two different countries that were so different they felt more like two different planets. Being a newly minted mother to a toddler, with a champion for a partner, the prospect of doing this without him feels nearly impossible. Motherhood is the stuff of warriors, and no one should have to do it alone. You don’t have to be a biblical scholar to know that God is serious about justice for those who are mothering alone. The children of widows, likewise, are at the forefront of Christ-like ministry. The fatherless do not go unnoticed by the Father.
So, if I could give $10 million to any charity, I’d give it to an organization like Arms of Hope. Arms of Hope is a Texas-based nonprofit, assisting children and single-mother families in need. They provide housing, education, career guidance, health care, and counseling to women and children who are facing homelessness, poverty, abuse, and neglect. As the name suggests, they provide a welcome and safe place where mothers can dare to hope for a better future for themselves and their children. If we’re friends, you may already know that I have family members who work for Arms of Hope. It’s a special thing, to be afforded the opportunity to observe a nonprofit up close. I’ve seen the work that they do, the people who benefit from their programs, the difference it makes in the lives of these women. The work matters. It matters to God and it matters to me.
There are so many people in the world in desperate need of assistance and attention. There are so many charities deserving of our financial generosity, even if we are people who will never be able to give an amount like $10 million. Whatever charity or cause or need in the world that pulls at you, acknowledge it, and see what you can do to be a part of the solution. Whatever your ache, follow it. You have one on purpose.
To learn more about the ways that Arms of Hope helps women and children, or to make a donation, visit their website here.
