Why YOUR Service Matters
Many of us are insulated in ways that obscure the need within our community. We live in comfortable neighborhoods with zoning laws and police who prohibit the homeless from camping in our back yards…but do they cease to exist?
We eat at restaurants where the hungry and penniless are not welcome…but do they cease to exist?
Sadly, the answer to both questions is simply, “No.” The unseen among us remain those most in need, and it behooves us all to engage in providing ministry. Here are three basic reasons why your service matters:
1. Let’s get very basic. Studies resonate with the intrinsic value of gratitude, often as a response to serving the less fortunate. How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain is just one of many recent studies linking the mental and physical components of service to your personal well-being.
2. Cliched, it remains true: It takes a village. Often needs run much deeper than any one person or provider can satisfy. Multi-faceted concerns require the intervention of specialty services. Do we shrug with indifference because we cannot solve the entirety of a person’s problems? Of course not. We do what we can where we can.
3. Most important of all…keep evil at bay. I don’t think anyone who viewed The Sound of Freedom remained untouched. Realizing how close evil resides is a reminder that personal involvement extends that border. The safety of our children and grandchildren is worth every effort to make their world a better place. I know multiple concerns tug at the heartstrings, but a clean climate means little if your children aren’t free to breathe that air. Let’s focus on basics. Those we help are seldom dangerous, but their needs often overlap with the nefarious who prey upon them. Let’s meet needs to reduce the reach of evil.
It's good for you and it’s good for others when you contribute. Extra produce? Share it with those most in need. A few extra $$ at the end of your month? Share it with those most in need. Our partner organizations welcome your help.