Serving the Least of These

Lately I have been working on Vacation Bible School projects and spending time with the little cuties, which has been time consuming, but doesn’t necessarily entail a lot of stories to share.  Which, works out perfectly since there has been something on my mind lately that I thought would be beneficial to share. 

I’ve posted about my time at Shepherd Community Center before, and how I was able to learn more about poverty while on the mission trip.  We spent a couple of hours each day learning about the lifestyle, the reasons behind it, the thought process, and so much more that I hadn’t really considered before taking the class.  While it was extremely informational, it was one of those things where once I was home it was hard to feel like I was making much of a difference.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, I was more aware.  I no longer felt like it was acceptable to say, “I can’t afford to buy a new purse because I’m broke.”...because after learning more about poverty, I was reminded that I am definitely not broke.  I’m a college student who obviously has loans to pay off, but that is just it, I am a college student who has the opportunity to receive a degree in order to pursue my passion.  So, while I was thinking more about the words I said and trying to be more thankful for the many gifts that I was given, I also didn’t really feel like I was able to make as much of a difference at home.

Then, a couple of weeks ago I was watching an episode of What Would You Do? With my family.  You can find the clip here.  It is kind of long, but if you have the time I urge you to take a second and watch it.  (By the way, I do not approve of some of the language used, but I think that the overall message is great enough to still share the video.)  They did a segment on a homeless man who was given money to eat in a restaurant.  The show then taped the actions of the customers in the restaurant.  As I watched this show I found that once again all of these facts about poverty were swirling around in my head.  I found myself confronted once again with this deep sorrow for those who find themselves in poverty.  Not to mention, the sorrow I felt after watching some of the ways the homeless man was treated on the show.  I could never imagine human beings who were so rude and self-centered, and yet it made me look at my own actions. 

Now, the Lord definitely knows what He is doing when it comes to the timing of things, because just a couple of days later I was driving around town doing some shopping with a friend when I saw a man who was homeless.  Now, typically when this happens it seems that someone in the car will say “Oh I feel so bad for him.”  and we keep on going.  Or maybe we sometimes even look away because it is just too hard to see a person just like us who is struggling to survive.  Then there are other times when I have been with people and we have stopped to pick up a meal for them.  I am so lucky to have had this example in my life, as I instantly knew what I should do when I was the one driving in this situation.  All of the training I received in Indy, the television show, and most importantly God’s call to serve others and to serve Him, as in Matthew 25:34-40, were ever present on my mind.  So without even stopping to think about it, my friend and I pulled over at the nearest Wendy’s, bought the man a meal and watched his face light up as we handed him his food.

Then a few more days later I saw another man as I was on my way to the Cub’s game.  Once again I was given an opportunity to help the man out and was overcome with sadness as the man started crying and thanking us profusely. 

You see, I am not sharing this story because after these events I want others to know of the help I was able to give.  In fact, that is the farthest from the truth.  I probably would not be even sharing this story if it weren’t something that was placed on my heart. I am not filled with pride over the actions of giving.  Instead, I am overflowing with joy at how blessed I have been.  The Lord gave me opportunities to serve Him, and out of that came a joy that can only come from Christ.  He allowed me to see that small changes can help, and that even in my own backyard (or my own town) I can make a difference.  I am blessed to have opportunities to share His love and kindness with others.  Quite frankly, I do not deserve anything I have been given in this life. How blessed we all are to have a Father who loves us and gives us more than we could have ever deserved.