Can I Afford to Help My Brother?

It sounds like a financial question. 

But what if it’s really a discipleship question?

The Spiritual Practice of Affordability. We tend to think of affordability, especially in this season, in political or economic terms: What party should it vote for? What can we afford to buy, pay for, or keep? But Scripture invites us to ask a different set of questions: What do I have? What do I truly need? And what might God be asking me to do with what remains?

Perhaps affordability isn’t simply a matter of my vote or the size of my wallet, but the size of my heart and the kind of neighbor I am becoming.

In Genesis, a question is posed: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Am I? I believe I am, but with an important distinction: I am not my brother’s savior, judge, or controller. Herein lies the beautiful tension. I am responsible for how I respond to my brother’s needs, but I am not responsible for every aspect of my brother’s life.

I can offer help without enabling, speak truth without condemning, and share someone’s burden without trying to carry their entire life. I can love my neighbor without controlling my neighbor.

So, perhaps the question isn’t simply, Can I afford to help my brother?

Perhaps the deeper question is this: Can I afford not to become the kind of person who does?

Peace ✌🏻

Pkes