I just came home from my Summer Bible Study Camp with my daughter. Tonight, we were asked three questions: What do you love? What do you need? and What do you want? My answers were pretty easy. It was a tie; I love watching movies and bowling. I need a new cell phone because mine died. And I need sleep because even though I was down one child this week; I was doing so much running around with one child and doing so many interviews for my weekly 4-1-1 column, I was running on empty.
These responses brought up a discussion about whether we have too much. My answer was "YES". Oprah has a clothing rule: if you haven't worn it in a year. Get rid of it. Donate it, but just don't let it sit in a closet or drawer. Someone in need could always use it. I listened as my class leader complained about all the junk in his house. My leader chided his wife for all the stuff she had. He noted his love for a suit that he hasn't worn in years, but can't bare to give it away. He finally gave it away last week. He explained that his rationale was selfish. One man's junk is another man's treasure.
We discussed about how we used to be our brother's keeper, but times have changed since The Bible was written. The last few years, we have been bombarded by photos of the homeless in the US, victims of Katrina, and those men, women, and children trying to recover from the earthquake aftermath in Haiti. Our class leader asked us when is it good to help your fellow man?
In many ways, we have been conditioned to look at homeless people as being lazy and dangerous. We, somehow, blame them for their predicament. There are so many people not employed because businesses have downsized and don't care about the people they hurt. Every is at least one to two paychecks away from being homeless.
Sharing your wealth to help others isn't about just giving financially. It is about giving of your time, your services, and helping out others with kind words or deeds.You can do something as small as putting money in a parking meter when it's about to expire to buying flowers and giving them away.
We used to take care of our brothers. Back in the Bible days, it was against the law not to watch out for your neighbor. These days, it is against the law to do so... the biggest law on the books is trespassing. Before you could go on someone else's property to help yourself to food. Especially, if you were poor. People could eat food and not starve. I think how much food we waste. My parents told me never to do this and to think about the children in African nations starving. I also only took small portions because I could go back for me. I think of those individuals that can't do that.
So the next time, you complain about what you need and don't have, stop. Take that time to thank the man upstairs for what you do have.
Posted By: Marsha Jones
Friday, July 2nd 2010 at 11:26PM
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