The Least Among Us

Mt 25:42-45
for I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink;
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me.

Lk 9:48
Whosoever shall receive this little child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same is great.
From the American Standard Version

Those words were spoken thousands of years ago by Jesus Christ. Believe what you will, but they have a special meaning today, in this economy, at this point in history.

The the word "least" in the original Greek means "small in size, quantity, number, or dignity." Websters Student Dictionary defines dignity as follows - "the quality of being worthy, noble or stately appearance or manner, high rank or position."

The word "among" is defined as - in the company of, together with.

Two words, least and among, should be the watch words of every man, woman , and child in the current and future economy. We are among the least everywhere we go, all day long, all night long. They are not limited to family, friends, neighbors, etc. Every minute you move, you encounter new or different members of the least among us. What Jesus told his followers above and those through out history and beyond, is not to look through a narrow tunnel. The people we help are those closest to us at anytime.

The above two verses are a challenge as much advice. Throughout history, there have been fewer believers than than non believers. We aren't called to help only those we like or who like us. Those two verses did not say to be selective. They include those with whom we are angry or are angry with us, who have wronged in the past, as well as those we don't know but have encountered.

Adrift in a sea of more qualifed people

Unemployment is a common phenomenom in today's economy.

There are three competing philosphies.

One focuses on personal contacts. According one expert I talked to, "everyone has 2,000 acquaintances." You contact them, get an appointmentfor 10 to 15 minutes and give them a sales pitch about yourself. THE PITCH can be no longer than three minutes.

Two focuses on the internet. Get on Facebook, write a blog, go to many job websites, find website of favorite companies, websites of headhunters (the human ones, not the meanies who dine on some of our closest friends). Get your name out in cyberspace.

The third, crawl in a hole and die (a Glen Beck favorite).

The truth is you are only as effective as that to which you are commited. If you're comfortable cold calling, jump in to number one. If you are an internet wizard and you have the hardware, assert yourself with the second option. Option number three is in this for "comic relief".

The biggest tools are dedication and patience. This economy is not producing new jobs. You're going to have to displace soneone who was retired, fired, or just got lazy. That takes time and luck. Find an opening at the exact right time, and impress the person in front of you asking questions you hadn't thought of. And take break each to watch "The Rifleman" play video games, play chess, etc. Eight hours a day will only make tired.