CHARITY

                                                           

                                                           WHAT IS CHARITY

Charity means different things to many people, for some it is:
1. THE VOLUNTARY GIVING OF HELP TYPICALLY IN THE FORM OF MONEY TO THOSE IN NEED’’ FOR OTHERS
2. IT IS A GENEROUS ACTION OR DONATION TO AID THE POOR, ILL OR HELPLESS.’’

Charity in Islam is the third pillar of the Islamic region and it is defined as a mandatory way of redistributing wealth.
To Christians charity means love, it is believed that God’s love and generously towards humanity moves and inspires us to love and be generous in response.
The Jews also see charity in equal importance to all other commandments in the Torah combined.

                                                     CATEGORIES OF CHARITY

1. PURE CHARITY: this is referred to as giving without expecting anything in return
2. PUBLIC CHARITY: this is the kind of charity that benefits everyone rather than one individuals
3. FOREIGN CHARITY: this is a kind of charity in which the beneficiary lives’ in a country different from where the funds or services are.

                                                           WHY CHARITY
So many people engage in charity for different reasons and some of these reasons are:

* To satisfy the needs of others with the extra from our pocket.
* To show compassion to the poor
* To help in order to put themselves in the spotlight for their did

But weather it is shown to satisfy the needs of other, to show compassion or to put yourself in the spotlight it all boils down to making our society, nation and the world at large a better place for us, for our unborn generation and for our neighbors.

                                                  WHO IS YOUR NEIGHBOR

Your neighbor is not only that man or woman you live together with in the same building, compound, yard, and house. Your neighbor is also that homeless hungry child on the street, that widow and those mislead boko-haram members.
We should not limit charity to just our brothers and sisters, we should stop deceiving ourselves by giving our brothers/sisters son a pair of Nike when he has about six pairs of shoes while there is a child who does not even have flip-flops to put on. There is no offence for rewarding yourself after doing a very good job but come to think of it, how about rewarding someone else……!!!!!!.

BENEFITS OF CHARITY
  STRENGTHENS OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE: charity is a key component in our religion and belief. So recognizing that you have taken action in accordance with your spiritual belief by offering your resources to the needing gives a sense of inner peace and contentment.

INCREASE OUR SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY: knowing that there are people out there that your resource can help no matter how small it may be, builds the ideology in you that we are all created to help on another.

                                      WHY PEOPLE DON’T PRACTICE CHARITY 

* POVERTY RELIEF IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE GOVERNMENT (after all that’s part of why we elect them): how long are we going to wait for the oga’s (Leaders) at the top to take care of the poor and the needing? We say we practice democracy which is the government of the people, for the people and by the people. Then we have no excuse not to help that person on the street.
* IN NEED MONEY FOR ME AND MY FAMILIES FUTURE: charity is not just tied to giving money it is also about making people smile because it only takes a smile to makes someone’s day feel bright.

In every society there is a chibuzu who wants to go to school but can’t afford his school fee, there is a Boma who has not eaten since yesterday (while you eat and even throw away) and there is a man, a woman who just needs a smile to gladden his/her heart. We are made to help each other so let’s start to make the world a better place  

I hope you got something out of that (please drop your comments)