Pass It On...

We can love Christ but we cannot really do much for him personally. I mean, he pretty much has everything he needs by now. We sure can't save him. We can't bind up his wounds, carry his burdens, or lessen his pain. We can't feed him when he's hungry or clothe him or take care of him when he is sick - for he is far beyond all of that now. So how, then, shall we appropriately express our love for him? He has told us how in Matthew 25: 34-40

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his aright hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have adone it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

God invites us to repay our debt to him by serving others in turn. Our neighbors in their need become symbolic of Christ. So go out and find him. Find him and minister to him. Find him in the faces of your family, friends, neighbors, students, colleagues and strangers on the street. Search him out. Dress his wounds. Feed him. Clothe him. Serve him. Teach him. Love him. For this is the Prime Directive, the "Royal Law" the more excellent way and in so doing we will not only find him we will be healed by him.

Who are we really serving?

The most selfish thing you can do is to help other people,” says Brian Mullaney, co-founder of Smile Train, which helps tens of thousands of children each year who are born with cleft lips and cleft palates. Mr. Mullaney was a successful advertising executive, driving a Porsche and taking dates to the Four Seasons, when he felt something was missing and began volunteering for good causes. He ended up leaving the business world to help kids smile again — and all that makes him smile, too.

So at a time of vast needs, from Haiti to our own cities, here’s a nice opportunity for symbiosis: so many afflicted people, and so much benefit to us if we try to help them. Let’s remember that while charity has a mixed record helping others, it has an almost perfect record of helping ourselves. Helping others may be as primal a human pleasure as food or sex.

Caring for Mother

Over a decade ago I realized that my Mother would not be able to live in the facility where she was located because of her failing health. Her other two children were far away and had responsibilities that kept them occupied. I was retired and so it was the sensible thing for me to see to her care. She was mobile enough at that time to live by herself if someone could be there for her every day. Her age and diabetes had rendered her nearly blind so that she could only walk a short distance to the mailbox etc.
I had observed many older family members in their last years needing extensive care and I did not envy those caregivers. I just did not feel that I would have the patience to care for an elderly person. We were able to find a nice ground floor apartment just a block from our home and got her settled in. All went well for about a year and then her heart lost its regular beating and she began to fail to the point where it was not possible to leave her alone. In the meantime a change in my feelings for Mom occurred. She became my sweet little charge and I looked forward to finding ways to brighten her day. To sit at her feet and have her recount her life as a child and a young woman was fascinating. With help from my sweet wife we began to care for her full time from daybreak to evening. Then she lost her ability to get out of bed and go to the restroom without assistance. I tried to sleep in her little apartment to be there for her but every little sound awoke me. In a few days I was exhausted. So we arranged for a nurse to come and sit through the night with her. Although the routine was often repetitive it was like a walk through the past. She brought into focus those years so long ago that I had almost forgotten. I began to see my life through the eyes of a caring and loving mother. A blessing of deep love came from God and her well being was a joy to me. As I recount those months I marvel at how I was able to find joy and happiness in what now seems like a lot of very hard work.
As was expected the 90plus year old body began to fail quickly and I knew that it was soon time for her to join my Father in a better place. One day we saw that conditions were beyond our ability to treat properly. We took her to the hospital for a few days and then to the nursing home where she passed away peacefully in just a few days.
Near the end she wanted to pass away and asked that we pray to that end. I agreed to give her a blessing . When I sealed the anointing I had a stupor of thought like never before. I could not grant the blessing she wanted so I blessed her with rest, peace, comfort, etc. I was shaken up because I felt as if I had failed to do what she had asked me to do. Now I know that the Lord was not ready for her to leave this mortal existence just yet. After she was settled in the nursing home one afternoon I got the strongest feeling that I needed to release her from her mortal mission. I called my son Chris and asked him to meet me at her bedside at a specific time. He anointed her and I sealed the anointing and told her that she had pleased the Lord with her valiant service and that it was now time to return to Him and those loved ones who were waiting for her in the Spirit world. Within a few hours she peacefully passed away.
I learned a very important doctrine. If you accept the opportunity to be a caregiver to someone in need your hours and days will be filled with joy and peace. Tasks that would seem unpleasant to some will be sweet opportunities to bring joy to you as well as those we serve. I realized why the Savior welcomed the time when the apostles and He would participate in the “washing of the feet”. For that brief moment each of them had the privilege to show the greatest of love for each other by performing a menial task that would bring comfort to the receiver and a humble, loving, service to the giver.
I feel that “enduring to the end” means serving all the days of the rest of your life. There is always a smile, a compliment, a message of hope, or some small aid that you can give that will enlarge your soul and bring joy to those who cross your path in life. Look every day for an opportunity and you will be surprised how many chances will become available to you.

5 Minute Angel

One hot summer day, my mother and I were driving to the mall for some fun! We just missed the light and were in the middle lane waiting for it to turn. My mother glanced over at the sidewalk to see a homeless man standing holding a sign that read "Hungry and Homeless. Anything helps." My mom wanted to give him money but we were in the middle and did not have much time till the light would change. She grabbed her purse and grabbed the first bill she saw. She handed me the $20 and said "run across the street and give this to him." I am happy to give homeless people money but 20 dollars seemed like a lot. I replied, "Mom I wont make it there and back before the light changes."
"Just go," she instructed me. I grabbed the bill and hopped out of the car. In the car next to us was a lady who was urging me to hurry across and I knew that even if the light turned, she would not move her car till i was safe with my mother. I made it across and I saw the man. I was nervous as I approached him but knew that i would not get hurt. "Excuse me sir. Excuse me?" The man turned and I handed him the $20 and said "God Bless." He smiled and then looked at the bill only to notice the amount and become shocked. . I turned and ran back to the car, buckled myself in, and looked at the side walk. There stood the man, looking at me then up to the sky. I could not hear him but there was no mistaking what he said. With his hands raised to the sky he said, "Thank you God. You sent me an angle." The light turned green and we were off. I felt an overwhelming feeling of joy and happiness. That light was about a 60 second light. I still believe to this day that my heavenly father kept that light red till i could finish my service to him. I am still blessed to this day by that and will always remember being one of God's angels for 5 minutes.

Giving is Contagious

A dear friend of mine told me his story, I hope that I can retell it accurately.

Because his family felt they had been especially blessed they decided that instead of buying a bunch of gifts for each other they would give to those in need that they came across.

While at the mall they had fun picking names off of the Tree of Sharing and one of the the requests was by a teenage boy for a long board. My friend went to the board shop in the mall and because he did not know much about long boards he asked the kid at the counter what would be a really good long board and asked him to put together a package that he would want himself. The kid was excited to help him and asked him who it was for. My friend told him that it was for a Tree of Sharing person. When the kid realized that my friend was willing to pay so much to get something for a total stranger he was amazed. About this time my friends wife came in the store and said that he should grab some "skullcandy" head phones that were also requested from the tree of sharing. The people at the store were so impressed by the generosity that they had witnessed that they grabbed a bunch of the headphones and said they were giving those at no charge. The energy of generosity and giving could be felt in the store... It is contagious!

Forgiveness

"We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this we are less prone to hate our enemies."


Martin Luther King, Jr.

Who I want to be...

I am hoping to be the kind of woman that when she wakes up in the morning and her feet hit the floor Satan says, "oh crap, she's up!"




Don't know who said it originally but the person I most recently heard say it was Catherine Donnelly

Gratitude is a Prerequisite to Giving

As we acknowledge all we have, as we learn to praise God for all He has done for us, God helps us pry our fingers off our possessions, our BlackBerrys, and our bank statements. This brings us full circle. This is why we need to explore gratitude while on our journey to discover the power of giving. Gratitude is the basis for giving. Grumpy, stingy people cannot live in the spirit of generosity. In order to be able to open our hands to give, we first have to give thanks for all we've been given. It's just that simple.

Quote from Debbie Macomber