Hebrews 13:1-2
Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Do you feel blessed or beaten down? Are you healthy, living in a home with heat and air conditioning, and have plenty to eat? If you answered yes to all three of these situations then you are truly blessed. Not all are so lucky. What better time of year than Thanksgiving for us to count our blessings and share our good fortune?
The highs here in Elkin, North Carolina this week will be hovering in the thirties and forties, with the wind blowing. Can you imagine trying to stay warm if you lived outside? in a box, or under a bridge? Nothing makes me madder than to hear people talk bad about these homeless people.
I have heard all kinds of stories about why the homeless are in the shape they?re in. Yes, maybe a drug or alcohol habit put them where they are, but does that make them any less a person? God loves them, even with all their flaws and addictions. I?m sorry world, but God does not see our social status, the finery, or rags that we wear each day. He sees our heart and knows our inner most longings and desires. God is seeking a personal relationship with us, whether we smell like a fresh cut rose or a rotten fish.
So this Thanksgiving sit down for a minute and think about the abundance of ?things? you have. I probably throw away enough food each day to feed another household. What can we do to give a little of all that has been given to us back? Maybe take food to a community food bank? In my hometown the shelves are almost bear right now at Tri-C, our local food closet. We can also donate time, money, blankets, coats, diapers, and even toilet paper so others might have just a smidgen of what we have been blessed with.
There are so many things we can do to help people, sometimes its not monetary items that folks need. What about an aging person who is lonely? Adopt an elderly person and check on them regularly. Spend some time with them and let them know someone cares.
The elderly are not the only ones who need love either. There are literally thousands of children out there who need someone to care about them. About a year ago I was asked to mentor a high school senior. Her senior project was to write and illustrate a children?s picture book.
After meeting the young lady I realized she had a lot of hurt inside her. She had been a foster child for years and the book she was going to write was about the life of a foster child. I?m not sure how much of the book is truth, or fiction. I didn?t ask. I felt that if the young lady wanted me to know she would tell me.
When I said yes to this project I had no idea how much time it would take, if I had I probably would have said no. I am so thankful I didn?t know, and said yes. The author of To Walk In My Shoes has been a blessing to me in lots of ways. To be able to help someone is a wonderful feeling. I found that this young lady and I had much in common. As we got to know one another these past months I found a loving, gentle spirited young adult
who simply needed a little help.
Isn?t that the way many of us are? Sometimes we just need a little help. It might be something as simple as lifting a friend up to the Lord in prayer when he?s found out he has a rare form of cancer, or throwing a handful of change into the Salvation Army bucket. Maybe you could clean out your closets and garage and donate the things that you?re not using anymore to Goodwill.
The list of needs is endless. We must open our eyes and reach into our pockets and share the blessings that God has freely given us. Giving back is the best gift we could ever give to our self.
Happy Thanksgiving!
