Just thought I'd post this here too, as it has more than just "Bible study" applications. Enjoy...

5 10 03

7:50a

It�s really quite early. It feels earlier than it really is as I didn�t go to sleep until a little after 2:30 in the morning and I woke up about half an hour ago or so. Gotta love those early mornings. But, this is a habit I must start. I�ve actually got to get to bed around 10:30 or so every night so that I can get up by 5:30 every morning.

Anyway, I�m not here to kvetch about my morning. I have my fourth OA meeting this morning, so I have to get going with this.

Luke 21

As I read through the first four verses again (it�s the story of the widow�s offering) I�m caught by a different angle. Perhaps one of the points of this story is that we, as a fellowship of Christians, are supposed to be supporting each other. I mean, as we see our fellows in this extended family putting forth their last effort, giving all they have to serve God, shouldn�t we be giving a little of our own effort to support them? Like, pay an electric bill of theirs, drop a box of groceries on their doorstep, pay a month of their mortgage/rent� something like that.

This passage tells the story of a woman giving everything she had. The exact phrase is �all she had to live on�, so imagine this�

You have a church group. Throughout the group, all these people are making huge offerings and donations, yet these donations are only amounting to about 10 percent of the person�s income. Then, in walks this person, young/old/doesn�t matter, and they drop in a measly two bucks, but, those two bucks were all that person had left for the month.

Maybe that person is praying for God to provide next month�s rent. Maybe that person chose to offer God the two bucks in place of buying 14 packs of Ramen, knowing that they wouldn�t be able to eat anything for the remaining two weeks of the month. Maybe that person is praying, and relying on God, for food, clothing, diapers for the baby� something.

Shouldn�t we be paying more attention to those around us? Isn�t it our responsibility to provide for those who don�t have anything? Aren�t we, indeed, blessed to be a blessing?

Wouldn�t it be cool to do something nice for someone else, whether you know them or not, whether they will know it was you or not� wouldn�t it feel good to do an anonymous good thing?

Many people donate to a church because they can use that donation as a tax deduction. But what about those donations we will never be known for? Haven�t you ever experienced random kindness from a stranger?

I remember a story my Mom told a while back about how she was stuck with a flat tire. She doesn�t do �car stuff�. She doesn�t know how to change a tire. At her prayerful request, however, a stranger stopped by, changed her tire, took the damaged tire to a shop and had them repair it. Mom never knew his name and he didn�t take any reward or gift. But he helped her when she most needed it, and in a way she couldn�t have helped herself.

So, I have a thought for you� If you go to church and give an offering, sometime this next week, match that offering (same amount of money) and buy a pre-paid food card from Safeway or Fred Meyer, or some equivalent, and drop it in an envelope in the mail box/door/screen/whatever of someone in your neighborhood. Pray about it and have God lead you to whichever person/place. Don�t sign your name, don�t leave any obvious indication of your identity, just let it be a gift.

Because, when you give without any intention of receiving pay-back, God sees what you do, and repays you so much more richly.

If you don�t go to church, or if you don�t believe in God, or if you choose not to be involved in �God stuff�, you can still do this. Watch your neighborhood and see who needs help. If there�s a single Mom, working her butt off to make sure her kids are fed, go over and mow her lawn, wash her car, offer to baby sit the kid/s so she can have a night of peace, buy her a gift certificate at a spa, pay a month�s rent, pay her electric bill, phone bill, something. If you see someone in need in some way, do something nice for them even if it�s just to smile and chat for a few minutes.

I think of a period in my past where I was at my wit�s end and had decided that I wasn�t going to go to church anymore. I was so through with all the bullshit. So, I told God, rather vehemently, that if He wanted me to keep going to Church, He was going to have to do something about it. It told Him, in a defiant and pissy tone, that I was going to go back only one more week, that I would go to Church the next week, but that was it, if things didn�t change (if He didn�t provide me with friends) then I was going to quit and never come back.

I walked into Church the next week, completely set in my opinion that I was NOT going back ever again. After services, however, Petar (a friend of the family) came up to me and introduced me to two of his buddies. We talked and enjoyed company for a little while, then decided to go out, the four of us.

*smiles tenderly*

That one day changed my life. For the next six months the four of us were together every weekend. We had weekly barbeques at Stuart�s place, we�d go out and play pool, Jim and I would take long walks along Ruston Way� *laughs softly* It was incredible. And it gave me the help I needed when I needed it.

I don�t know what possessed Petar to do that, to introduce me to his friends, after all, I was only 21 and they were all at least 7 years older than I. 21 to 28 is a really big age difference at that particular phase of my life. I had a lot of fun that Spring.

So, if you have the opportunity to do something nice for someone else� do it. Just take the ten minutes/two hours out of your day that it will take, and enjoy yourself� entertain yourself that you�re doing this to bring joy and peace to someone else.

You don�t have to be �Godly� to be nice. You don�t have to believe in God to be nice. Just� be nice.

*smiles tenderly*

Here I am, eleven years later and so very, very happy, knowing that God answered my prayer in the most necessary way. He gave me exactly what I needed, when I needed it.

I should send Petar a thank you note.