It's none of my business! Or is it?

⁹ Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. ¹⁰ And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia.Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, ¹¹ and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, ¹² so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 1 Thess. 4:9-12

“When people ask nosey questions, when they butt into private conversations, and when they give unsolicited advice we would love to say, “Mind your own business”!  How often have you wanted to say this to someone?  Since in Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians he talks about busybodies this may be what he has in mind here.  He wants people to stay out of other people’s business. 

There is a positive side to this also. By minding our own business Paul may be encouraging us to focus our energies on what God has called US to do.  Instead of criticizing what other people aren’t doing, are doing, or should be doing; we are better served by focusing on what God wants us to do.  Instead of being concerned about the rate of spiritual growth in someone else, we should be working on our own spiritual maturity.  We should be developing our own relationship with Jesus Christ.”  -taken from somewhere, just can’t remember where…

“I know we should strive to “mind our own business”.  Do you hear a “but” coming??  But..... what about in instances where we think someone is being abused?  Friday, I went back to check on Amai Ngoma and give her a small loaf of banana bread.  When we arrived it appeared no one was there.  We slipped the door open and entered the dark two bedroom house.  We found Amai Ngoma lying in the small room completely naked just lying on the vinyl flooring I had gotten her.  Of course, the smell was horrible again and flies were everywhere. Small piles of soiled blankets and clothes were in the house but no one had  taking the time to clean them.   Amai Ngoma’s niece came up and was drunk and started crying when she saw us.  Her loud crying woke up her brother who was also drunk in the other room of the house.  They began fighting and he was about to beat her but our caregiver stepped between them and told them to stop.  Thankfully, they listened.  The nephew blamed his sister because there wasn’t any food.  Evidently, the niece stole 10 kwacha(about $1.50) from her husband and she used it to drink beer.  He got mad and beat her.  You could tell from the look of her face that she had been beaten.  Then the husband threw out their remaining mealie meal while he went to look for work  so that no one could have food.  The niece and nephew said that they wished she would just die because when do feed her she eats too much and they just want her house.  So basically, everyone who is supposed to be taking care of Amai Ngoma drinks all the time and they are not caring for her.  The drunk woman gave Amai Ngoma half of the loaf of banana bread and then she kept half for herself because she said she was hungry too.  I was not happy about this but the other caregiver said I should just let it be, so I held my tongue.  As we left,  Amai Ngoma thanked us for the bread and off we went.  We are going back tomorrow to see about helping them clean the house and the clothes.  I really need wisdom as to what to do.  I feel like we need to get the police involved but don’t want to proceed with that unless that is what God wants.  We are also checking into a type of nursing home in another compound that we could encourage them to put Amai Ngoma in so that she can be cared for. Please pray for wisdom on our parts, pray for Amai Ngoma to be taking care of, and pray for the salvation of this household.

James 1:5 says, ^“ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”