I am coming in late again, as usual... I hear you, that it's hard to watch. And also, that it's not about finding a system for sorting everything out, distributing the money in ways we've figured out are better. It's about attitude. 

I think that's what Jesus calls us to, as well. He didn't force anyone to give, but he did say something like "Look what you're doing! Turn away from this, and toward love." I don't think we can solve this with systems or programs or taxes. What's needed is a change of heart--a world where it's just unthinkable to let someone suffer while you live in comfort.

I was driving through a (relatively) rich neighborhood last winter, and thinking "How can these people live like this in their big houses with empty guest rooms &amp; three cars when people are outside freezing?" The answer came to me: "they're scared." Just like me, they're protecting their interests because they don't know how to trust God to take care of them. Just like me, they're telling themselves that they need this or that to "be ok."

I've learned to give more, but I'm still in self-protection mode a lot of the time. I long for a world where seeing someone suffer, we slam on the breaks and start yelling "Someone call 911! This person is hungry!"