Monday, December 1, 2014

Thankful giving

This weekend, we went to the inner city to deliver Thanksgiving meals to families in need.

We stood in the host church with hundreds of our friends from our evangelical Christian church getting instructions.

To my horror, my two children were rolling their eyes, making faces and generally letting me know that they didn't want to be there.

How could my kids who are blessed from the tops of their glistening heads to the toes of their designer boots act like that?

Well, we got our first meal and went to the recipient's address.  She let us into her small, immaculate apartment.  We delivered the food and prayed with her.

She thanked us profusely, hugged us and we left.

A miracle happened.  My children became more loving, more humble and more thankful.

See?  That is what happens when you do stuff to help people.  It kinda helps you, too.  Sometimes, it helps you more than the other person.

I write a lot about the abuses of the welfare system by able-bodied men.  But, that is not what our safety net is for.  It is for people, through no fault of their own, who have fallen on hard times.

This can happen to any one of us.  Someone can lose their job and be homeless, helpless and hopeless within a short period of time.  That is what the safety net is for, to give people a hand up so that they can get get back on their feet.  It was never intended to be a lifestyle choice from cradle to grave.

Those who abuse the system hurt people like we visited yesterday the most.

With each delivery, my children changed just a little bit.

I hope that it taught them a lesson of compassion, love and thankfulness this Thanksgiving.

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