As of yesterday, the Ebola
virus outbreak in northern Africa had claimed over a thousand lives. Two of the thousands infected were American
health workers who were in Africa to help.
When they got sick they were flown back to the United States and treated
at Emory Univesity Hospital in coordination with the Center for Disease Control
(CDC) laboratories in Atlanta. The experimental
drugs used on those 2 Americans worked!
They got better.
That’s great news,
except----the international community led the World Health Organization (WHO)
has been telling Africans that going to a health care center in their home
country will help them fight Ebola. Now the Africans see that the Americans
didn’t stay at the health care center in Africa. They left and got better.
Africans are being told
that they are receiving the best possible care for an incurable virus. But, it sure sounds like the Americans got better
care and a cure. It’s not fair.
I don’t believe that there
is a conspiracy. I don’t think this is
racism or elitism. I think that it’s the
constant dilemma for every full-time do-gooder like the World Health
Organization (WHO), hospital, non-profits, ministries, and me.
Depending on how you look
at it, doing good can look really bad.
The WHO doesn’t have enough
of those experimental drugs to give to all the affected people in north Africa. So, now they have to choose who gets the most
promising treatment. They could protect
the health care workers who are there to help and deserve to be protected. But what’ll it look like when the foreigners
stay healthy while Africans get sicker and die?
Oh, and the drugs haven’t
been fully tested. Nobody knows it the
treatments will work without side effect or if the drugs will kill every third
person.
What if it causes sterility
or horrible birth defects? What if it
doesn’t work in the north African climate?
Will the people of Africa believe that it was an honest mistake, or will
they decide that it’s another in the long line of real Western conspiracies to
destroy and destabilize African nations?
The WHO and every other
person and organization that’s out there doing good in the world must decide
whether the help they can give right now will do more good or more harm. But even
when you use your very best judgment---- how do you predict how people will
perceive your decision?
As for the last question,
the answer is: You can’t.
Depending on how you look
at it, doing good can look really bad.
In John 11, Jesus raised
his friend Lazarus from the dead. Jesus
performed that miracle in a graveyard full of other people’s dead friends,
brothers, and loved ones. Yet, Jesus
only resurrected Lazarus.
Don’t you think some other
grieving person thought that was unfair?
In Mark 5: 24-34, a huge
crowd surrounded Jesus including all kinds of sick people . One lady was instantly cured by touching the
hem of Jesus’ garment.
And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out
of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”
But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging
You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” (Mark 5: 30-31
The disciples knew that a
bunch of people were touching Jesus and His clothes. But, only one of them got healed.
How unfair does that look?
Why her? Why not me or my sick friend?
Our human resources are
limited. No matter how altruistic our
hearts, we have to make difficult but firm decision about whom and how to help,
which means deciding whom and how NOT to help.
And no matter what you
decide, no matter how wisely you judge, no matter how lovingly and
unprejudicially you select--- you’re going to hurt somebody, and you’re going
to piss somebody off.
Jesus spoke to that when He
referenced the Old Testament outreach of the prophets Elijah an Elisha.
But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of
Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a
great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent
except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a
widow.
And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet,
and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” (Luke 4: 25-27)
And Jesus audience (in
church) responded like people respond today.
So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were
filled with wrath and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him
to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw
Him down over the cliff. (Luke 4: 27, 28)
(Oh, and isn’t it
interesting that one of the statements that made the worshippers mad enough to
throw Jesus off a cliff was the story of a prophet going way over yonder to
help a foreigner and single mother “while there are all these needs right here
at home.”)
You won’t help
everybody. You CAN’T help
everybody.
That’s a fact, but not an
excuse.
Jesus never said, “It isn’t
time to heal every sickness so I’m not going heal any.”
If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and
one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do
not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it
profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it
does not have works, is dead. (James 2: 15-17)
Help everybody you can.
But, you can’t help
everybody. And, you won’t please everybody.
Don’t kill yourself inside
over the limitations of your resources.
Increase your capacity as you can, but accept that no matter how much
good you intend, no matter how much good you actually do---- it’ll look bad to
somebody.
Do good anyway.
---Anderson
T. Graves II is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education,
ministry, and rural leadership development.
Rev. Anderson T. Graves II
is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church (5220 Myron Massey Boulevard) in
Fairfield, Alabama; executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth
Networking Organization (SAYNO); and director of rural leadership development for the
National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Support by check or money order
may be mailed to
Miles Chapel CME Church
P O Box 132
Fairfield, Al 35064
