Writer. Contributing Editor at The Discarded Image. Digital Content Strategist. Here's where I publicly explore the books I'm reading, the projects I'm working on, and other current interests. Too Small to Ignore
Today, in Haiti, a little girl by the name of Vilnette is celebrating her 8th birthday. I came to know Vilnette two years ago when Brandon and I became her sponsors through Compassion International, a global organization whose mission is “releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name.†This post is in her honor and has two purposes: to recommend a book (of course) and ask you for a response.
Thinking about her birthday, I decided yesterday to read the book by Compassion president Dr. Wess Stafford (with Dean Merrill), Too Small to Ignore: Why the Least of These Matters Most. I had asked Compassion to send it to me because I knew Stafford is a fellow alum of my alma mater and, as a long time supporter of his ministry, I was curious about the backstory. I was a little disappointed when I got it—as a rule I avoid books written “with†a professional writer, and I don’t know why Stafford decided he needed one, since he has a masters in communications and a PhD in education. So I thought it might be cheesy and I’d just skim it. But it turned out to be more than I expected: part manifesto for child advocacy, part memoir.
The narrative follows his experiences as a missionary kid growing up in Ivory Coast, West Africa. He fondly recalls the warm community life of his tribal village, which though desperately poor and no stranger to death and disease, nurtured selflessness and compassion in him. He also remembers with great trembling the devastating abuse he and 80 other children suffered at the hands of their missionary boarding school directors. Between the severe contrasts of these experiences he learned firsthand about the vulnerability of children and how attitudes toward them have eternal consequences. Interwoven with vignettes of his childhood are principles of attitude and action he has adopted as a child advocate. He demonstrates from Scripture that child advocacy is a command of God. He also argues from statistics and personal experience why child advocacy is crucial to the well-being of civilization.
Certainly, when he talks about the needs of children, he is talking about poverty, but he isn’t just asking for your money; he is pleading for proper and happy community in the Christian sense of the word:
When the wealthy and the poor get together, each ends up meeting the desperate needs of the other. Too often Satan achieves his wicked agenda by keeping them apart—geographically and philosophically. The result is that one tends to die in need, the other in greed. But when Jesus brings us together, the genuine needs of both are mysteriously and wonderfully satisfied. In God’s amazing economy, the rich and poor need each other…
In fact, he says, poverty is antithetical to the gospel:
Poverty and abuse speak the same language—a message that says, “You don’t matter. Give up!†Both are completely opposite to the wonderful message of the gospel, which says, “You do matter. You are of immeasurable value. You are deeply loved by God himself.â€
Thus poverty is a spiritual problem, and the spiritual aspect of eliminating poverty is not peripheral, but essential. That’s why the body of Christ must not only be involved but lead the effort.
And Stafford’s idea of child advocacy goes far beyond the needs of poverty-stricken kids in remote villages; he also calls us to think carefully about how we can be advocates for any and all children in our sphere of influence—our kids, grandkids, friends’ kids, local soccer team, Sunday school class, etc. Do we treat them with respect? Do we seek to build them up? Or do we neglect them for “adult†concerns like jobs and golf and spa days, and then ridicule them into obedience?
One of the best chapters is 13, in which he admonishes pastors, church leaders, and Christian parents for seeing children as the “church of the future†instead of the “church of today.†He makes a solid case from Scripture that God often calls children to important spiritual tasks that because of loss of vision or imagination or honesty, adults are no longer suited for. Children play a crucial role in the building of the body of Christ. Thus, we must not sweep them off on Sunday morning to be entertained but bring them up in the faith with dignity and love while listening for what they have to teach us. His arguments should nudge you to take a closer look at your church budget and see what percentage is set aside—not leftover—for “the least of these.â€
But there is no touch of the “Evangelical guilt†I expected, no deriding those whom God has blessed financially, no politics, no pitting of Americans against the developing world. Instead, Stafford just walks us through the principles of God’s call to protect the vulnerable. It is not a tightly written book—the prose meanders a bit much for my taste and I prefer a less conversational approach—but the passion is authentic, the story is moving, and the arguments are clear and convicting. An added resource is the study and discussion guide at the back, which includes “apply it†and “take action†prompts that don’t tell you what to do but help you process how you can become a greater advocate for kids in your own particular sphere. [Read excerpts, download a study guide, and listen to audio of the author answering questions about his book here; if you purchase it, I encourage you to do so through Compassion.]
Reading Stafford’s story made me glad that I support Vilnette, and for nearly 10 years prior to her, a boy named Yonas in Ethiopia. My experience with Compassion over these years is that they are top-notch in every way. So here is my request: if you’re not already a sponsor, please consider joining me. I have agreed to help Compassion find a sponsor for Enbakom, a six-year-old boy in Ethiopia who is currently on a waiting list to join Compassion’s local project. I have a packet of information that includes Enbakom’s photo and bio and a DVD that explains how Compassion’s programs work. Just leave a comment here if you are considering child sponsorship and would like me to mail you Enbakom’s information (be sure to include your email so I can get in touch); I’m also available to answer any questions about my experience as a sponsor. My goal is to find a sponsor for him by October 26. What a joy it would be if I could tell Vilnette in my next letter that I celebrated her birthday by helping match another child with a compassionate sponsor.
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