Just Look Around

  Hi everybody! Hope you are all having a great day today.I am writing you today, to tell you about some things that have been going on, that I feel are important.
  Over the past few months, as I continue my daily Bible study, the Lord has made me personally aware, of things, in my community, that need to be changed. They are things that, right now, really have no effect on my life, and that I could easily say, are not my problem.
  I am someone who, tends to look at the details, of any given situation. So, I feel that the Lord has given me that ability, in order to make a difference in the lives of other people. We aren't just here to take up space; we are here to make a difference in this world, and in the lives of other people.
  Instead of isolating ourselves, with the division of ethnicity, religion, or political party, we need to drop, the walls that we have put up, and do something for someone else.
  What we do, will be different, for each individual person, based on the talent, or talents, that the Lord has blessed us with.
  For me, after a lot of praying, I realized that, I was thinking about  children, who come from single-parent homes; whose parents got sick, or lost their jobs, or their homes. Going to school, as a child, without those things, is hard enough. So, I began to realize different ways that I felt like I could make a difference.
  If you pray about anything, and you learn to look for Gods answer; He will never let you down. It could be anything from a news story, to a magazine article, to a billboard. Sometimes obvious, sometimes not so obvious. But always there.
  So, my mission, is to help kids, in school. I don't think that any child should have to go to school without the basic school supplies. These children are, at some point, going to be in charge of my future interests. I want them to be educated!
  It is not for me to judge their parents, or their living situation. My focus is on what they need, while they are in school.
  I have become a very thrifty shopper, and I won't pay full price, for anything. I don't look at my financial situation and think about what I can't do, or shouldn't do. I look at what I can do, with what I am blessed with, and have faith, that God will provide me with what I need, to do more.
  I found out what the immediate needs were in one of the local elementary schools, and started there. Now every time I go into a store that still has cheap supplies; I buy more.
  The one thing that the schools need, more than anything else, is pencils. Have any of you looked at the price of pencils lately? They are so cheap! But to these kids and the teachers, they are like gold.
  Instead of blaming someone for taking money from the schools, or not giving them enough; Do something!! Close your mouth and open your wallet, and buy a box of pencils! Or ask God what He wants you to do. It maybe something for children, or it may not. But we have to do something, lest we do nothing.
  We are supposed to trust God with all that we have. Not everything but our money. Even if you tithe, you can and should do more. And trust me when I say, if you don't, He will let you know.
  It costs nothing to smile at someone; to open a door; to pick up something for someone. If you miss  those opportunities, you are missing out on things that really make a difference, in your life, and the lives of others.
  Go out today, with an open heart and an open mind, and look for people to help. They are everywhere! We are not going to be led to do things that are easy, or comfortable. But they are things that we need to be doing, in faith. Faith that, at that specific moment, with that specific person, in that specific situation, we are supposed to help. And at the end of the day, as you reflect over what you have done, the joy and satisfaction will be so overwhelming, that you will look for more ways to make a difference.
  Then, your God given journey begins.