Tough Love and Bear Food

Tough Love and Bear Food

We all know from the Bible that God loves a cheerful giver (II Corinthians 9:7 NKJV). Christ also said that “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).  Since there is an additional plethora of scriptures telling us similar things, why then am I advocating for the deliberate starvation of real-life teddy bears?

Strangely, I am not alone in this. No, it is not a cult thing; it is none other than the esteemed National Park Service and Parks and Wildlife officers who are the protagonists of this hateful agenda. They have been known to spread propaganda leaflets and put up signs with shameful slogans such as, “DON’T FEED THE BEARS!”  

So that’s where I come in. My goal is to bridge the gap between the kind–hearted people out there and the stone–hearted bear–hating thinkers. The best way to accomplish this is to present their perspective, so here goes!

Though it seems an atrocity on the surface, there is actually a good reason for demanding that campers and tourists abstain from giving a handout to animals. You see, for an animal to accept a handout from a person is a whole lot easier than hunting or browsing for food. So much easier, in fact, that it can remove the desire of the animal to provide for itself; it becomes reliant on the kindness of humans. Thoroughly handicapped in this manner, the animal becomes as helpless as if it had its legs amputated. They can actually die of starvation if the handouts quit coming. Before this sets in, however, they will quite often turn to theft and vandalism. 

So there you have it!  Uneducated kindness can result in handicapping, obesity and criminal tendencies.  Sound familiar? Of course it does!  We need not venture into the wild of a paved campground with utilities (what some people call “camping”) to witness this principle in action. We can see it on many street corners and in city parks: able-bodied men and women wearing tattered clothes and puppy dog faces begging for a handout. After all, it is much easier than working, and it usually pays better too. 

After hours, these fine citizens can often be found driving home in a decent car, or sprawled out on a park bench somewhere, drunk or high on expensive narcotics. They give no regard to the kind–hearted people that generously fund this lifestyle.

Of course there are vagrants that are not capable of working for a living, either because of physical or mental handicaps, and those I have a different attitude toward, but they seem to be the minority. I have seen a guy on a street corner in a wheelchair with his legs amputated at the knee and wrapped in bandages. As I drove past I could not help but notice that he was sitting on his legs and his heel was showing underneath his bottom. A scam artist, but not a skilled one.

What is the solution to this problem? DON’T FEED THE BEARS!

But what about mercy? What about the golden rule? What about the people that legitimately need help?

We all know that the Almighty is full of compassion and abounding in mercy and that “He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy”(Proverbs 14:31, NKJV).  So let’s look at what He orchestrated to provide for the poor and needy in the land of Israel.   

‘‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:9‭-‬10, NKJV).

This concept is echoed in Leviticus 23:22 and Deuteronomy 24:19.

This was the welfare system of its day, and being designed by God it is far wiser than any system created by mankind.

Think how nice this would be!  If someone fell on hard times, he would still have access to food, but it wouldn’t just be handed to him–no, he would have to work for it, thus allowing him to retain his dignity. For it is when someone loses self respect / dignity that he really becomes a leech.  

An additional option was also provided to help someone out of his financial hole. This was to sell himself as a hired servant for seven years. While thus indentured he would have food, clothing and lodging, while at the same time learning to be a better steward of his possessions from the example of his master. Upon release, he would be generously provided with the things necessary to start his own life over (Deuteronomy 15), and all this while still being a productive member of society rather than a leech!   It really is true that God’s ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9)!  

Now this is great for an agrarian society, but what about our modern society where people would not know what to do with the gleaned grain even if they could find it? How can we apply this principle in our high-speed world of smart devices and dumb people?   

The key point of this principle is that someone should be able to eke out a living while doing some form of work to provide for himself. If gleaning grain is not an option, maybe one could mow the lawn or do other odd jobs in trade for food or currency. The idea is for someone in a financial hole to survive but not to get so comfortable that he loses the desire to climb out of the hole. Encouraging someone to succeed is showing love; contributing to his delinquency is not. 

Actions speak louder than words. “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” (James 2:15‭-‬16, NKJV).

“If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the Lord against you, and it become sin among you. You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:7‭-‬11, NKJV).

So then, we are to give generously to those in need (especially our spiritual brethren), and this is confirmed by the “Golden Rule.”  As our Father does, we should give only good gifts to those who ask. Giving to someone in need so that he can improve his situation and no longer be reliant on charity is a good thing; giving money to a stranger to make yourself feel good while funding an addiction, such as drugs, alcohol or laziness, is a bad thing. 

Ultimately we are all here to learn lessons, and bailing someone out of the consequences of his poor choices keeps that from happening.  We Americans have the tendency to try to fix the world’s problems by throwing money at them, instead of investing ourselves–our time.

Money is a terrible way to help a stranger. There were many cases where Christ and even some of the disciples healed people rather than handing them money. “Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk’” (Acts 3:6, NKJV).  Now, it is my opinion that we have not been given power to heal as the disciples had (though I am sure that time is coming), so in the meantime, let us be charitable, but not gullible. 

Before giving a handout to someone, I encourage you to ask yourself, “Will this do more harm than good?”  If the recipient is going to use the money for his next cocaine binge, then are you really showing love by funding it? 

Remember, someday we will have the honor of implementing the system set forth by our King, and how nice that will be!

*If you can think of other ways to implement the Biblical system, feel free to leave a comment. I would like to learn more on this subject.