In this time of economic recession, belt tightening and hunkering down are you still inclined to share with those less fortunate. Has the current economy left you feeling less than generous? We have been considering our spending habits and what the future may hold as has probably everyone on the planet.
In my twenties I was always "broke" and thankful for friends that invited us to dinner. I knew of an acquaintance, an able bodied man that on weekends would go to small towns and pretend that he was deaf and mute with the proverbial cup in hand. This appalled me greatly and left me feeling cynical about those "in need". As I came to listen to the still, small voice I was prompted to be more generous. Sometimes the voice of contention would rise up and say things like "you cannot give your money away...you have bills to pay" I discovered that the more tightly you hold onto things, the greater the loss. When you expand and "tithe" your life becomes more abundant. Tithing is often thought of as the one tenth of your income that you donate to the church you attend. I recently participated in an e-seminar that offered a slightly altered twist to the original concept...give generously to whom you will...whatever feels right, make a donation, lend a hand. As I was contemplating this idea many opportunities for "tithing" arose. How often have you felt prompted by that inner voice to give someone $1, $5 or whatever. I struggle to overcome the cynicism in my mind that says, "that person probably has more money than I do or why don't they just get a job" During our dinner conversation my husband said to me, "I just don't know what came over me today" and he related the following story. He was in the checkout line at the grocery store (he was shopping for his parents) and the woman in front of him was counting out coins for a bag of flour and a gallon of milk and it looked like she was going to be "short"...my husband told the checkout lady to add it to his bill. Additionally, he gave the "flour" lady $20 whereby she gave him a great big hug! As tears welled in my own eyes, I said, "Honey, you KNOW what it was that came over you"
Charity Never Faileth...this is the motto used by The Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. From my personal experience and from those around me I know that this is a true concept.
So in this time of belt tightening and being cautious...let us not forget the tired, the poor, the hungry...donate your time, talents and some $$$ We each are "our brother's keeper"
7 comments:
You just made me think of my blog post for today...THANK YOU.
cynical old me just got a tear in my eye from your husband's kindness. thanks for the reminder to be kinder.
Carl has a huge heart!
Beautiful! And a great reminder. Thank you!
Thanks for this great reminder.
Oh my goodness! This is so powerful! My sister and I talked about this concept/issue on the way to Myrtle Beach Friday, and our conversation fits in perfectly with your post and pictures (LOVE them).
She (Ann) is taking a course at her church in which they're studying the last few comments of Christ from the cross. He looks at his mother standing with John and says something like, "Behold thy mother." (Actually I don't have my Bible upstairs with me and am too lazy to go look this up. He might have said, "Behold thy son.") In any case, Ann said her interpretation is that we're all supposed to take care of each other whether they're our "blood" relatives or not.
Carl is quite a guy.
I'm always amazed at how the poorest people are often the most generous. I don't know, maybe that's why they never had much (material goods), because they gave it all away. But they were rich in friends, that's for sure! You can't outgive God, the more you give away, the more He fills you up with far more valuable things, like contentment.
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