My beloved religion professor from college used to tell us that the opposite of faith is not atheism, it is apathy. From voting to volunteering to being active in a faith community or helping organization, showing up matters. For example, 64% of eligible voters did their patriotic duty this last election, which means that about 1/3 of eligible voters decided who would serve in political office nationally and locally. While there are some nations that have very high voter turnout, there is a global trending down of voter participation. On any given weekend in America, only 25-30% of people who claim to be members of a religious community attend worship. With the exception of a short period of time in the 1950s, this has been the reality for most of our history. Again, some places are higher, but this is a global trend. There’s also been a slight downturn in kids playing sports, which has been blamed on COVID and video games.
These are not new trends; for years, we in the non-profit world have talked about the 80/20 effect. 80% of the work/volunteering/etc. is done by 20% of the people. The church I serve could not do its mission without the amazing people who go beyond themselves to do God’s work in our community, and I bet the same could be said about every faith community in the world. Nobody has enough money to hire the staff to meet the needs around them. And there is no greater feeling for a person of faith than to care for people in need. Generosity is not just measured by how much money we give, but the time spent bringing light into someone’s life. This is why we give freely of our time; it makes the world a better place.
I get why some people don’t volunteer – life is complicated, and many people are working harder than ever to put food on the table and provide a roof over their heads. Many retired people are working part-time jobs to make ends meet. Lots of folks have responsibilities that go far beyond what they can handle, and yet they do what is needed anyway. All of these burdens can get in the way of volunteering. But – if those who are able to be volunteers continue to sit on the sidelines, needs will continue to go unmet. Apathy is corrosive; it can turn us inward in ways that can be destructive. The world needs us to give of our time for others. We can’t allow apathy to lead us away from generosity. You can be a gift to someone who is struggling. You can make a difference.
Prayer – Holy God, thank You for the opportunities to help others. It energizes our spirits and makes the world better. Amen.