Is Free Always Good? - Jason

I have been thinking recently about Freedom (the concept, not that awesome ministry organization) and things that are Free in general. Being in this country has definitely provoked my thinking even more. My heart is burdened for this country and the people here, but I want to be a true blessing and not simply give the appearance of helping.

I’ve written before about beggars on the street – little children standing with their hands outstretched. We have a stash of food in the car that we try to put in their hands…still it feels insignificant and I wonder if it really helps them or if we are supplementing a lifestyle for which they were never intended. Yet, how do we drive passed without doing anything?

Then there are those with physical issues. We are warned by Dominicans that while some are legitimate, there are many who are using their infirmity as their business. We are told that some could get medical attention to fix whatever problem, but they do not because it would take away their ability to receive donations. Others, we are told, have family, but because of their choices in life, their addiction to drugs, etc., their families have decided it is better not to help. What if we give a donation to someone like this? Helping or hurting?

To make that last paragraph more complex, this weekend there was a man begging who had an open wound on two sides of his leg and a piece of metal clearly visible next to what looked like his bone. We are not talking a minor gash; instead, these were tangerine size wounds dug out of his flesh. Worse, it was infected…and it looked like the infection was spreading – his leg was red and swollen to just above the knee. I do not know how he could bare the pain that must have been causing, yet he was using a stick for a crutch and moving from car to car. What should we do in this situation?

I asked some Dominicans about this guy specifically and while they did not know his specific circumstances, they said that he could get the medical care if he wanted it at the public hospitals. Does that change our response? I said to Pam that I really wish we had some sort of clinic established with some doctors and we could say to this man, “Friend, we are willing to help you to be well – do you want to be well?” Oh Lord, send us laborers or raise them up from this country!

Along with these thoughts have been the thought about offering classes and ultimately a school to those in the bateys. But, if we give it to them for free, does that change the way they value it? So far, we have seen that it does. We will need to charge at least a minimal amount.

What about giving out Bibles? Surely that would be good! Would it be better to charge, say 50 cents? While it feels good to give out free Bibles, it appears to me that the answer is “yes, charge them at least a fraction of the cost.”

King David did not want to offer something that cost him nothing – as a cheapskate, I always thought he should have just taken it. But it seems that things given completely free are rarely appreciated for what they are.

It seems to me this principle is true on a large scale as well. As I write this, the news is full of the struggle to bring “freedom” to the world – Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Egypt. I want these people to have freedom, but I also wonder if freedom given is really appreciated as freedom. Patrick Henry said, “Give me Liberty or give me death!” That was a man who would value whatever freedom he received.

What’s my answer for how we should behave in these situations? I don’t know. I can tell you what we do at this point - today. I cannot bring myself to ignore a kid’s outstretched hand when it is clear that there are hunger issues – maybe that is hypocritical considering what I say next, but I just can't do it. With the rest of the situations, I take the perspective that I cannot help everyone. I really want to – it brings tears to my eyes to think about it – but I can’t. With that reality, comes the second reality which is that I do not want to do harm through encouraging dependency. I feel like without knowing the individual circumstances and then offering something without cost could do just that. What we hope to do instead is invest in the lives of the people in a few villages, offering them opportunities if they will take them, that will set them Free to be who they were made to be. Finally, we pray for wisdom. We pray that God would adjust our perspective where it needs to be adjusted. We pray that the desires of the Lord would become more and more a part of our lives and the lives of all that we come in contact with....and we pray that He will raise up more laborers.