If you caught Sixty Minutes this week you had a glimpse into the crushing plight of Christians in Iraq specifically and the Middle East in general. The Christian population in Iraq has been reduced from 1.5 million to less than 300,000—through slaughter, forced migration, conversion under duress and fear. More than 125,000 Christians have fled to Kurdistan and are huddled there in refugee camps. The entire Christian population of Mosul has disappeared and, according to a priest interviewed by CBS reporter Lara Logan, the intent of ISIS is to completely eradicate the Christians: “To wipe them out. To be nothing. No place left that bears the name of Christian or Christianity.”
It’s overwhelming, isn’t it? The thought of the entire Christian presence being obliterated in a country would have seemed unimaginable just a few years ago. But today we are disgusted with the images and reports of aid workers, journalists, missionaries and other innocent people being gruesomely beheaded and displayed for everyone to see. Of course, the intent of those horrific images is to so discourage and unbalance us so that we will become immobilized. ISIS understands how such graphic stories actually make people despair of being able to do anything to counteract such inhuman atrocities. So, instead of becoming angry we are numbed and overcome with helplessness. And worse, in the face of such numbers we no longer think of individual crimes—only of faceless masses of people being displaced and killed.
Joseph Stalin said, “One death is a tragedy; one million is a statistic.” He was right. Our capacity to emotionally register the monstrosity of such large numbers actually decreases as the numbers rise. Studies have shown that caring people are demotivated by large and complex problems but are more likely to give to effect a change that is more narrowly defined. The larger the problem the less likely we are to think our giving can have an impact.
As well, over the last several years there has been an increased emphasis on giving that makes a huge difference or achieves near-miraculous results. We want to change the world. This burdens organizations to clearly show how each and every donation—large or small—will have a significant impact. While I understand the need for measurable results, I also can see how this may unintentionally reinforce the pressure for short term fixes. For example, it would be easy for someone to remain overwhelmed with the scope of the disaster in Iraq and conclude that their small gift cannot make a significant difference—and therefore choose to give to something where they see a more immediate impact.
None of us want to feel our gifts are simply absorbed and disappear without a trace. Or, that our gift is meaningless in a lost cause. However, there are times to give without the assurance that our donation—large or small—will have a well-defined effect.
There are times we need to have the attitude of the widow in the Bible who gave her last mite. As I’ve said before, I would have had serious reservations about giving anything at all to the Temple given its corruption, bloated bureaucracy, evil conspiring and self-serving staff. I would have had many questions about the impact of her gift. Yet, Jesus does not think that way at all. He looks at her heart and marvels.
The woman did not ask to make a difference or get measurable results or assurance that her gift will solve a problem. She gives and leaves the results up to God. There are times when we just give.
Mother Teresa put the poem “Do It Anyway” on the wall of her children’s home in Calcutta. Let me rephrase it.
Problems are often so large we cannot imagine our gift making any difference.
Give anyway.
Organizations are so numerous it is hard to know who to choose.
Give anyway.
I cannot be sure their mission is completely in line with mine.
Give anyway.
People may accuse me of being naive and easily influenced.
Give anyway.
The situation could only get worse and not better.
Give anyway.
Anything I do will be too small to be noticed.
Give anyway.
Edmund Burke, the Irish statesman, sums it up for me. “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”
Give anyway.