poverty

Every morning when I check my email inbox, I see the “5 Minutes of Caring” message from CoolPeopleCare. These daily email messages from Sam Davidson are limited to 99 words that challenge individuals to consider how they can change their community and make a difference in the world.

This morning’s message emphasized “Blog Action Day” – a day when bloggers and media outlets are encouraged to highlight the issue of poverty. The timing is fitting, since right now the presidential candidates are debating at Hofstra University - Paul and I are recording the debate as we wait for Chaney to get home so we can all watch it together - but if the previous two debates are any indication, we will likely hear a lot about the needs of the American middle class, but very little about the plight of the poor who live in our country or elsewhere in the world. 

Did you know that 37.3 Americans were living in poverty in 2007? (U.S. Census Bureau)
Did you know that 2.1 billion people - almost half the world's population - live on less than $2 a day, and 800 million of these people survive on less than $1 a day? (World Development Report 2008)

For a little perspective about just how fortunate we are, check out the Global Rich List. By inputting your income, you'll find out how you rank in wealth compared to the rest of the world. For instance, if your salary is only $20,000 a year, you fall within the top 11.16% of the richest people in the world. If you make $40,000 a year, you're in the top 3.17%.

So take the challenge and investigate the Global Rich List. I'll bet you'll discover that you're wealthier than you think. Then consider what you can do to help those who are less fortunate than you are. "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me" (Matthew 25:45).