Doing Good

You can't always tell what is going on from a picture.

Sometimes we look at the world with blinders on I think, it makes life easier....  We have our preconceived notions about people and what that does is keep things at arms length, "problem people" or "bad people" do not enter our purview.  In truth though, things don't actually always appear as they are.  I took this picture last night as a thunderstorm rolled over ValP Florida where we are staying on a mini-vacation with family.  Well, we ended up staying an extra day thanks to bad Red Robin (blech....never again).  In my picture, you cannot tell it is storming out and you cannot see the dark skies....so things look perfect.
In contrast, when a needy person is standing on your door and they may not seem to fit your "right kind of person" ideal.... turning them away doesn't make you a good person only dealing with good people...it makes you judgmental and bad.
Being privy to a story about a needy mother who escaped an abusive home with her children showing up on church doorsteps to help only to have them turn her away infuriated me.  Isn't that what these people should WANT to do???  Help those who cannot help themselves???  I mean I know I have been on a roll as of late about laying praise on my father in law's church New Hope Baptist for being one of the few churches in my entire life that I have seen actually doing good, caring for others, delivering a message of love and hope to people regardless of what they believe... but again after this woman went to other places for help, this small church went out of their way to feed them, give them shelter and try to make their lives a little more bearable regardless of their background.  
We live in a world of cynics.  "I cannot make a difference," "I cannot help people," "I have  a hard enough time helping myself," "they are just going to go out and buy drugs or alcohol anyway so whatever."  I have heard all of these before and while it may make a person feel better at night because they have a "good" reason for not helping others, it doesn't make it any better.
I do little things, I know it is not a lot, but I do it with my heart and I do it because I care.  I do not do it for any gratification or anything in the end except knowing that someone knows that they are not alone in the world that regardless of who they are...someone cares.  I challenge people to do some good today for no other reason than to do it.  Bring some hope to those who are hopeless....even if its a few dollars, giving a hungry person a sandwich, donating to a charity.... volunteering your time somewhere that reaches out to those in need.  We have a lot of people out there right now who think they have no more hope...show them they are wrong.