Something my sister Gail said to me last night has really been on my mind. She was telling me about one of her greatest desires. She said she wanted God to give her such a loving, caring heart. She wants to get to the point where she has such compassion for people and empathy for whatever they may be going through. She said more, but I couldn't remember it word for word. I guess what was puzzling to me was, in my eyes she is already blessed with these loving qualities. Not to say she doesn't get mad occasionally, or frustrated by others, she is only human (a fact that took me some time to realize).
I realize here at the holidays you have your twice-a-year do-gooders. Those are the people who like to be recognized for doing something "charitable" for families who are less fortunate. For some reason, they fail to realize that the other 363 days of the year, these same people or families would probably like to be thought about. It is not always about the money, food or clothing either, sometimes people just need company or a friend or family member to remember that they exist.
My admiration is for those who help others behind closed doors. I know of several people who have lovingly given to others in need that they didn't even know. They did it because they believe in "paying it forward." They didn't run to the nearest church to feed the hungry only during the holidays, they didn't show up to make food boxes for the needy so that everyone would notice what "charitable" people they were at Christmas. The people I am referring to are the quiet givers. The "I don't need any recognition" givers.
If we truly want to be blessed, I know I do, we will pray that God gives us that pure heart that Gail was talking about last night. We do things out of compassion or empathy to help those who may not have the things we do. We do it without strings attached, or without the fanfare. We remember those who may be falling on hard times, or those who have made some unwise decisions in their lives but are trying to make life better. We do these things without Judging. If you have the attitude that "people make their own beds" then you will always be just an artificial do-gooder and never a genuinely good-hearted giver.
3 comments:
Wow, Lisa, that was one of the best blogs you have ever written. Not because you said kind things about me, you could have left that out, but because the things you wrote were so true and genuine.
I have never been the kind of person who wants recognition for doing a good deed. I, like you, feel so good on the inside when I see the happiness of those I have helped. That means the world to me. I don't take credit for a giving heart. I give all of the credit to the Lord for He is the One who makes me who I am, and I truly believe with all of my heart that ANY good in me, comes from God.
I want unconditional, Godly love, in my heart for every human being on this earth.
A friend of mine use to sing a song that said, God, let me see others, through your eyes. For when He died on the cross, He saw every sin we would commit. He loved us anyway. Not the sin, but the person. He suffered immense pain and suffered as a sacrificed lamb, and shed His own blood for us to redeem us and give us Eternal Life some day. That is unconditional love. Does God love the sin, the crimes, the horrible deeds that some do? No, those things He Hates. It is the soul that He wants to see changed for the good. Remember in the Bible when Cain brought a sacrifice to the alter for God, fruit, ect. Then, Abel brought his sacrifice. He brought a lamb. He then cut it's throat. It was the blood as the sacrifice. Do you know why he did that? He did that because he had a revelation from God, being a Son of God, that it would take a blood sacrifice. This is why his sacrifice was the better one. Just as it took a blood sacrifice to redeem our lost souls, that our All-knowing God saw from the foundation of the world, to give us Eternal Life some day.
So, you see, this is why that I desire to "See as God does". See others through His eyes.
Thank-you Lisa for writing this post. It brought thankfulness to my heart, first thing this morning of the mercy, grace, and love of God that He has for me.
Have a Wonderful Day and remember that, "The footsteps of the righteous are ordered of the Lord", and that all things work together for the good to them that love the Lord".
I love you, Sis!
"We are trying to better ourselves..."
This was said in response to a little help someone received. This is all any of us can do, is to try to "do better", each day. "Doing Better" means a multitude of things and depends a lot on where you are on your walk with your higher power, God. On a given day, sometimes "doing better", may not seem very significant to you, but IT IS to God if you are trying, and seeking his help.
So for those of you out there who are trying to better yourselves, keep it up, and rely heavily on your higher power, God. Like the scriptures say "all things work together for the good to them that love the Lord".
I get it. I feel the same way, not about people helping only at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they want everyone to know what they did, that is for the wrong reasons then. Oh look at me I am packing food boxes for the poor, in the meantime I ignore friends and family who are going through struggling times. Those are the people I stick my nose up in the air about. Those are the people I judge that they are responsible for their own happiness or their own situation. That is when I hope that selfish people like that will one day find out what it feels like to have people judge them or turn their backs on them. If you are those people, shame on you, you will certainly get your just dues one day.
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