Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
About GFA
Ministries
Free Resources
Social Media
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Pinterest
- Twitter
- Youtube
Archives
FREE NEWSLETTER

Home
Evangelical
Come Unto Me All Ye Who Labor and Are Heavy Laden

Come Unto Me All Ye Who Labor and Are Heavy Laden

Last updated on: November 30, 2022 at 6:19 pm by GFA Staff Writer

Come Unto Me All Ye Who Labor and Are Heavy Laden 2022-11-30T18:19:50+00:00 GFA Staff Writer

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Bridge of Hope students

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt

Imagine 168 million children. That’s a very difficult thing to do. In perspective, 168 million is about one-half the entire population of the United States.

What’s the point?

More than 168 million children worldwide are deprived of the education they need to succeed because they live in abject poverty and are forced to work to survive. Some turn to begging. Others search garbage dumps for food, shelter or clothing. These underprivileged children are extremely vulnerable to sickness, disease, death or the bondage and exploitation of human trafficking.

Poverty is widely considered as the top reason why children work at inappropriate jobs for their ages. Children work because their parents are poor, and they must supplement the family income or provide unpaid labor until debts are worked off.

Some 62 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 work as child laborers in Asia and the Pacific. More than a third are involved in jobs that are considered hazardous work for anyone of any age, including working in brick kilns, rice mills, mines, firework and match factories, and tanneries. Or worse.

UNICEF has recognized that “combating child labor requires long-term coordinated action which involves many stakeholders and the government. This includes educational institutions, mass media, NGOs and community-based organizations as well as trade unions and employers. It is important that the attitudes and mindsets of people are changed to instead employ adults and allow all children to go to school and have the chance to learn, play and socialize as they should.”

Furthermore, “Education is a key to preventing child labor and has been one of the most successful methods to reduce child laborers … This includes expanding education access to schooling, improving the quality and relevance of education, addressing violence in schools, providing relevant vocational training and using existing systems to ensure child laborers return to school.”

What’s to be done?

One of the primary reasons that poverty keeps underprivileged children from school in developing countries is that parents often must pay for their children’s education. When a family’s need for food, shelter and clothing are not being met, paying for education takes a back seat on a very long bus of needs.

Part of the secret to helping, in South Asia and any other part of the world, can be realized in the quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States:

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”

Pointing our collective forefingers at the governments of emerging nations where child labor is still prevalent may provide us with a pontifical sense of self-righteousness, but it does nothing to address the problem other than to project the entire blame on the government. The problem is that there is no singular solution. The problem is too broad and too complex for any singular effort to entirely resolve.

We are certainly not going to eliminate poverty or criminal activity that contravenes child labor laws. The answer is not in eradication but in “providing enough for those who have too little.”

A second secret to helping is to think like Jesus. We are his people and we are called to walk in His way.

Jesus invites us to “Come unto Me all you who are weak and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Our objective should be to make their burden lighter. Bridge of Hope does that in many ways. This program provides a holistic development for children living in severe poverty through value-based teaching and training.

The Gospel for Asia (GFA) Bridge of Hope program provides FREE education, health care, nutritious food and school supplies for the underprivileged children. This holistic development focuses on equipping these children not only to grow into responsible citizens but also to reach their potential.

Bridge of Hope helps more than 70,000 underprivileged children in Asian nations by providing them free education, a nutritious diet, school uniforms, school bags and notebooks. With qualified staff to manage these centers, Bridge of Hope has given these children a new ray of hope for a brighter future.

Bridge of Hope is making a difference because people whom God has prospered have given graciously to “provide enough for those who have too little.”

The results, however, are not only in the numbers. The real results are in the lives affected. We invite you to learn more about some of those lives by reading what God has done in them.

Learn how you can support a child so they may attend Bridge of Hope.

Read more on the impact of Bridge of Hope in the lives of underprivileged children and communities, here.

=====

Image Source: Bridge of Hope

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Go here to know more about Gospel for Asia: Facebook | Youtube | Twitter | GFA Reports

Previous Post

September 5, 2018

It Takes a Village to Change a Mind

Next Post

September 14, 2018 Touched by Tony: A Mission Support Team Story

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category About Gospel for Asia Bishop Daniel Children's Education Clean Water Daniel Yohannan Disaster Relief GFA World Guest Writer Humanitarian Services Inspiration Leprosy Medical Ministry Mission Support Team Modern Slavery National Missions Poverty Alleviation Powerful Prayer School of Discipleship Special Report Spiritual Growth Uncategorized Women's Issues

Select a Month April 2026 March 2026 December 2025 September 2025 June 2025 May 2025 March 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What material was the Ark of the Covenant made from?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Acacia wood Cypress Gold Silver