"Seeking Whom he may Devour"

The photograph was taken by South Africa photojournalist, Kevin Carter, in 1993 while on assignment to the Sudan. The child was reportedly crawling to a feeding location set up by the Untited Nations just a little over a mile from the site of this photograph. The vulture in the background was waiting for this weakened child to die from starvation or exposure so that he could consume it.
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Carter waited over 20 minutes for the vulture to "spread its wings" so that he would have the "perfect shot." When the shot didnt materialize as he had hoped, he snapped this shot and immediately left the area. The photo was sold by Carter to the New York Times where it was first printed March 26, 1993. On May 223, 1994 Carter was awarded the most coveted award for photojournalism, The Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography.
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Within hours of publication, the NYT's received thousands of inquiries concerning the whereabouts and condition of the child pictured in the photograph. They had no answer - because their focus was on reporting the event and not actually involving themselves in the lives of those that were suffering that day.
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Sad to say, this is also a picture of much of the Church today. As the ultimate "vulture" (Satan) waits for people to be weakend by famine (not a famine of food, but of the hearing of the Word of God - Amos 8:11) and exposure to the filthy and debauchery of this world - we "report" or "preach" about the conditions we see, yet never make the effort to actually intervene.
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Men, women, young people, and children are "fallen in the streets" of sin ravaged cities. They are crawling and scratching for survival - yet the Church has more often than not stayed within the cozy confines of our "UN Base Camps" saying, "If they really want to know the truth, then they will come here." The "UN" of these places is obviously not "United Nations" but rather:
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UN - concerned
UN - motivated
UN - willing
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It was reported that Carter was asked (many times) why he didnt do anything to help the child. He responded, "That wasnt my assignment." Unfortunately, that is the same answer given by the mass majority of Christians who are asked, "Why wont you go to where the lost and dying are and share the message of JESUS with them." They say, "That is not my calling or my gifting."
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On July 27, 1994 - just a couple of months after claiming the top prize of in his field - Ken Carter took his own life. There in the vehicle that he rigged to be filled with carbon monoxcide a not was found that said, "I am depressed ... without phone ... money for rent ... money for child support ... money for debts ... money!!! ... I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings and corpses and anger and pain ... of starving or wounded children, of trigger-happy madmen, often police, of killer executioners...I have gone to join Ken if I am that lucky."
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Perhaps if his "assignment" would have been to "DO" rather than just "OBSERVE" he would have not found that barren, empty void within his soul that would drive him to kill himself.
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You may never find yourself in the famine infested areas of sub-Saharan Africa, of in the dumps of Mexco where starving children abound. But there are PEOPLE all around us who are STARVING for HOPE and that HOPE can only be found in a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Will you merely take a picture with your mind and go on about your business, or will you finally drop your personal agendas, fears, and SIN and reach out to the broken, lost and dying for Christ? The "vulture" stands by waiting to see if you will intervene - hoping that you do no so that he can claim another soul for hell.