Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
One of the ways we can show our love of God and of mankind is to do acts of charity. When one thinks of acts of charity, I think one often thinks of grand gestures, such as donating large sums of money, or volunteering one's time, and while these are wonderful acts, they are not always possible. There are simple ways to perform acts of charity in everyday life. Sometimes, it is a mere kind word, a smile, a thank you. I am astounded how many people do not say thank you anymore.
My mom was always one to perform great acts of charity in ways you would not expect people to in this day and age. A perfect example is this: when my niece was a baby, my mom would go to my sister's house to take my nephew to the school bus stop, so my sister would not have to take the baby out in the cold. She noticed a neighbor woman who had her kids at the bus stop, and none of the kids had hats or gloves. My mom struck up a conversation with the woman one day, and the woman mentioned that she had fallen on hard times, so, my mom went and bought each child a hat and glove set, as well as a small toy, and wrapped them up for Christmas. More than likely, those were the only toys those kids got that year. What a tremendous act of Christian charity that was. My parents always taught us to perform these types of acts of charity.
But, what happens when you offer such kindness to someone, only to have it refused? Last week, this happened to Hubby and me. Without going into too much personal detail, some people in our lives with whom we were not on the greatest of terms had a terrible situation befall them. In the name of charity, we decided to set aside the differences, and offered to help in any way that we could, only to have this offer pretty much thrown back in our faces. Were we wrong to offer? I do not think so, I stand by my decision to offer assistance, particularly because there was a child involved. I think it was a shame that our offer was refused in the manner it was, but there is little I can do about that. I know I did the right thing by trying to help, as my parents taught me to do.
But, what happens when you offer such kindness to someone, only to have it refused? Last week, this happened to Hubby and me. Without going into too much personal detail, some people in our lives with whom we were not on the greatest of terms had a terrible situation befall them. In the name of charity, we decided to set aside the differences, and offered to help in any way that we could, only to have this offer pretty much thrown back in our faces. Were we wrong to offer? I do not think so, I stand by my decision to offer assistance, particularly because there was a child involved. I think it was a shame that our offer was refused in the manner it was, but there is little I can do about that. I know I did the right thing by trying to help, as my parents taught me to do.
