...or Who is my
Neighbor?
I have seen the light, and it comes in strands of 200! It is
mid-September and as I stroll down a few special aisles I am enjoying the
sights of fun to come for this Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love the holiday
season because I am committed to doing what is important to me. I make the time
to reach out to family and friends. Then I try to create an atmosphere of
delight and relaxation in my home.
The whole world seems to help with the feeling of festivity
by decorating the outside of their homes with hundreds of lights, adorable blow
ups, and special displays of Jesus’ birthday. Rich and poor get in on this
effort to light the world: from expansive homes decked out in thousands of
lights to apartment windows trimmed with a single light strand with a star
displayed in the center. There’s another reminder of the holiday season that has started
arriving in my mailbox: requests for help from shelters and kitchens who feed
the homeless, near-homeless and impoverished.
It is very impressive what these organizations accomplish.
First, they feed hundreds of people each night of the year, and on the holidays
they feed a lot more. While I buy specialty items for a yummy holiday meal,
very poor families depend upon the shelters to enjoy a taste of what many of us
would consider a traditional holiday dinner. What I spend on a gathering for 15
friends they can use to feed 150 people!
I believe the Lord is reminding me that though these are
hard times in our economy, it is all relative. What is hard for me is a
different kind of hard for someone else. When gas prices shoot up to $4 a
gallon, all of us must have gasoline anyway, so we adjust our spending. For a
poor family, there is less money to adjust, but still the same needs.
Luke 10:27 (NEV)
"The
man replied, 'The Scriptures say,
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
soul, strength, and mind.’
They also say, ‘Love your neighbors as much as you
love yourself.’”.
Proverbs 22:9 (NLT)
Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.
Dear Lord, I have just finished clothes and book shopping
for school and I feel like there is no end to my list of things to do. But I
admit that my list may not line up perfectly with Your list. Please flood me
with mercy and compassion. Please help me to hold on to Your perspective that I
will be able to recognize which things on my list are Your priority for me each
day. In Jesus name, amen.
Written by Mary M. Wilkins
To find food pantries and shelters near you: do an internet
search for homeless shelters and soup kitchens with your city and state listed
last. There are small places striving to do what they can, and large places who
are able to do more but they all need our support.
No comments:
Post a Comment