noblesse oblige

noblesse oblige- (french) literally, nobility obligates, or, an obligation of the noble.

if you claim to be noble, you must then conduct yourself in a noble fashion. or, with power comes responsibility.

this phrase has been used in a million different places. Homer uses it in the Iliad, Faulkner wrote about it, it's in the lyrics of a mary poppins song, and it was an essential during the progressive era of social welfare. in some places, this term has been used in a condescending way, as some sort of snobby sense of having to help others because it's what society would have you do.

the way i use it, however, is simply and broadly just the desire to help one another. and i don't see the "nobility" part as only being applied to the rich and famous biebers of the world. i see it as something that comes with being an American, having access to health care, education and basic essentials... a privileged person in general.

so, where is the line between desire and obligation? and how do these things differ based on your worldview? if we were created in the imago Dei, then were we created with an obligation to help our fellow image bearers in their times of need?

are we, as Americans, truly as capable as we like to believe we are of changing the rest of the world? I'm not so sure that we are. however, things seem to change when we start to think of ourselves as individuals who were created in the image and likeness of the father. children of God, created for community and to be part of something bigger.

this is where my noble obligation rests. in the hands of a creator who is always planning, dreaming and hoping for more than i could ever imagine. it is in his hands that i hope i will be able to place my desires to help my fellow image bearers, whether that takes the shape of one of my best friends struggling with an abusive relationship, one of my students who has been kicked out of his home, or a child in africa with no access to clean water.