Proverbs 28:37. "He who gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse."

The Lord has made it very clear that he has a preferential love for the poor, and that we must share that love if we want to be his true friends. Most of us, I believe, know that we should give to the poor, and we want to, and try to, each in our own way. When there is a calamity or natural disaster anywhere in the world, I see people pour out their generosity in an amazing way, and it is wonderful. But there definitely are aspects and kinds of poverty to which we are turning a blind eye or, worse yet, from which we are hiding our eyes.

Poverty is everywhere, very much in our own neighborhoods and towns. It is not always obvious, and the poor are not always sitting on street corners asking for help (but many are - and we should not pass them by blindly, even if all we can offer in the moment is a smile). Big catastrophes are easy to see and respond to, but we should also really try to open our eyes to the people around us and look for ways we can help them. We obviously can't lift people out of poverty on our own, but there are ways we can help anyone, even if they are small things like rides, meals, babysitting, or even just a sympathetic ear.

The idea that one who hides his eyes will get many a curse also applies to much more than just monetary poverty. There is tremendous evil in our world right now, and much of it is taking place right under our noses because people do not want to see it and do not want to admit to themselves what is going on. Often, the evil has become embolded enough to portray itself as good, such as in abortion or transgender surgeries on children, and the fear of being excluded, misjudged, punished, or just the desire to "go along to get along" has left many good people in a place where they simply will not look at what is actually happening. They are hiding their eyes, and this is bringing many a curse upon all of us.

The poor can be poor in many ways - they can be the unborn; they can be abused, neglected, or misused children; they can be those who feel they have no support or friends; we cannot hide our eyes from any of them, even if it means supporting and helping people who are not part of a current popular cause, people who the rest of our society may think of as expendable or even deplorable.

Notice that the proverb says when we give to the poor we will not want. It does not say we will be rich and comfortable - just that we will not want. God will take care of us in this life, even when helping the poor means making ourselves uncomfortable, and when we do so, we show His sacrificial love to the world.