Some suggest we should help veterans before immigrants, and starving American children before refugees. I am drawn to ask, can we pick and choose when it comes to the needy? Can we say, we have not time nor resources to help them all, so let's just help our own?
Who are our own? I think of the lawyer who was told to love his neighbor, and he responded by asking who his neighbor was. In answer, the lawyer was then given the story of the good Samaritan, a story that ends, "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?"
Though the person be a stranger from another land, as was the case in that story, he can be our neighbor, if we will allow him. Even so, perhaps we should befriend and help everyone we can, making "our own" out of as many as we can.
I think of another story, the one about the man found picking up starfish off the beach and tossing them back into sea, and being laughed at because he could not save them all. Even so, we cannot help all the needy. Still, it is good to help those we can. We cannot help every refugee, nor every veteran, nor every starving American child, but, we can help. We can donate a little to various causes, whether they be causes that help refugees or causes that help American veterans.
Love of all is not a matter of picking and choosing. If you love everyone, you love everyone. Charity need not exclude, but can reach out to all it can find, all those it can help. I suggest we not pit refugees against veterans, and children against immigrants, but seek to help all those we can.
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