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I want to start by acknowledging the huge devastation in the Philippines. We are grieving for all of those lives affected. I started writing this article before the storm hit but now that we know the magnitude of its impact it’s time to start considering how we are going to react to it. In other words, what is my part.
Also, it’s Hunger Awareness Month at our church. We are doing it all. Wearing orange, eating like the world, talking to each other and sharing our money with those less fortunate. It’s a good cause.
Don’t forget we are in the month of Thanks. That means all around us people are planning their holiday meals, family gatherings, talking about what makes us thankful. I see how the two neatly go hand in hand. I can appreciate why this might be a good time to be dealing with a serious subject like Hunger.
Then there is Christmas right around the corner. That is a whole other situation. Sunday, they had shoebox filling at the church. You know, put small items in a box to send to a child in a developing country. Things like toothpaste and soap and socks. But then also coloring books and pencils were included for a treat.
I feel like my heart strings are being pulled in a million different directions. I don’t know which of the latest causes need my money or my hands. The kids ask questions, I tell them a sad story about the plight of our world today. They’ve been hearing it a lot lately. They need to hear about those less fortunate. We passed a homeless man on the side of the road. They heard about that, too.
If you’ve been living in the world for more than, let’s say, a minute, you know what it’s like out there. You don’t have to go to Africa or Central America to see that we’re in a bad way. You may not even have to go outside your own neighborhood. How many of us truly know our neighbor, look them in the eye and ask them how they are. I don’t.
Ok, so, they’ve been doing all this stuff at church and I’ve been participating as much as I know how. And then I’ve been seeing what’s out there, what more can be done but I’ve also noticed that there are people that like their special causes. There are people that think that what they do is the only thing that can be done to help. That is where we start getting into trouble. We need lots of hands, feet, pockets, mouths, well, maybe less mouths. But we need people. Lots of people helping in the ways they can help and we can never judge them for their ways. That’s not our place.
This is a special time of year. Lets not forget that. It’s Thanksgiving time and Christmas time and Family time. It can also be giving time, whether that be money or time or your actual hands or prayer, lots of prayer, to someone in need, we will all be doing our part this season and there is no one best way. We need all of us together. God uses us in His way. Only His way is perfect. Our way will fail every time but with Him all things work.