I was recently speaking to group where I began by explaining that a city official had shared with me what she believed was the most common denominator among the many challenges our community faces. I asked the group what they thought that common denominator might be. What common tread weaves throughout the crime, drug abuse, truancy, and gangs in our city? “Lack of Christian values,” one woman guessed. “Broken families,” said another. “Poor education” was another good guess. I do believe someone else in the group tried her chances at the question, and she missed it too. With no more hands going up, this group seemed to give up.

The answer was poverty.

I assured them that in our community’s mixed bag of challenges we would certainly discover those lacking a Christian faith, many from broken homes, and undoubtedly those without adequate education; yet the most common tread among the many troubled lives in our community is poverty.

Later I asked myself why this group could not come up with what seemed like an obvious response. The responses they did give assured me that they were not simply oblivious; yet, for some reason, poverty never made their list. What occurred to me was that these individuals and their families might have insulated themselves so well from the realities of poverty that, when asked about the challenges of others, poverty simply never entered their minds. Out of sight, out of mind.

Most of us interact with people everyday who lack a Christian faith, who come from broken families, or who lack an education. Our neighbor never goes church, our sister is getting a divorce, or our colleague who lacks a college degree didn’t get promoted. These types of life experiences are common at all income levels.

Poverty, however, is not quite as universal. Poverty is reserved for other neighborhoods, other families, and those who never finished high school. Unfortunately, poverty is usually reserved for other churches, too. Without having ever experienced poverty ourselves, many of us fail to understand how the effects of being without faith, without a family, or without an education are compounded by poverty.

I am a leader at an urban Christian school where eighty-percent of our students come from impoverished homes. Their families are faced with an endless list of life’s challenges, yet the common tread among these families is poverty. Through these families, I have encountered the challenges that accompany poverty and I am humbled by the blessings I have been so fortunate to have received. However, I was not always so mindful, so aware, and so determined to bring about change.

I am reminded of my five-year olds objection to “God”- she has decided that what she cannot see must not exist. Have we behaved liked children, believing that the things we cannot see are not there?

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Jason Lewis leads the fundraising, marketing, and recruitment efforts at Logos Academy; an intercultural, Gospel-centered school located in York Pennsylvania. In addition to his full-time work, Jason routinely speaks to groups about whole-life stewardship, generous living, and effective ministry advancement. You can learn more at The Generous Life.