'Tis The Season

"Let us not become weary in doing good," Galatians 6:9

I'm becoming a sap. Really, and truly, I tend to be sort of a non-emotional person, I don't so much cry at movies or tv shows, but lately... When I see someone in need or even better, when I see someone helping someone in need, I just get overwhelmed and the tears well up big time. I can't even think about watching something like Extreme Makeover:Home Edition, because my eyes will be leaking the whole time. But when I think about the idea of kids going without Christmas gifts, that's what puts me over the edge. When I think about all the people who are utilizing the food pantries in the area, it makes me want to fill my shopping cart and take it to them.

Yesterday I stopped at the grocery store, and as I waited in a busy line, I looked at other people's shopping carts. I always do that, but this time, as I looked at those carts, I wondered about the people in front of them. Was that a carefully planned shopping trip? There's not very much in that cart, is that all they can afford to buy? Is there a well-stocked pantry at home? I know I've been there in all those situations. I will never forget the winter when Abigail was a baby. I had $40 a week to spend on groceries for Andy and I- and that included buying jars of baby food for our precious daughter. Those trips were planned down to the penny. I would carefully plan that weeks worth of meals to best utilize the inexpensive ground turkey I could buy for 99 cents a tube. We would cycle through meatloaf, pasta and chili, as those seemed to be the best budget stretchers. I remember the day that my mom called and asked if she could take me grocery shopping to put food in my fridge, and I opened up my fridge, found the fixings for a big pot of chicken soup (and only those fixings) and told her that I thought we'd make it to the next income okay. That was a scary time for us.

I know what these people are going through. I know what it's like to have a husband unemployed, I know what it's like to look at that price tag on the shelf, scowl, and look at my list, knowing that I'd budgeted far less for that item than what it actually is. I also know what it's like to have a child ask for that particular box of cereal and have to tell them no, it's not on the list that week.

That empathy, that knowing what other people are going through has me digging in even more to help when I can. When my kids asked if they could take some food to church for the food pantry, I was overwhelmed with their generous spirit, and we went through the pantry and took in what we could. When I'm standing in the grocery line and the person in front of me is counting carefully through their change, looking for just a little more, that's an opportunity for me to pull out my own wallet and lend a hand. Sometimes, it's tough for me to do so. I know how much money I have in my wallet and in my bank account, and I know how much I have set aside for this and that. Yet... there are just so many people in need, and it breaks my heart. It's like, all of the sudden I walk around and see so much need, so much hurt, and I wonder what Jesus would think if he walked the same grocery store I do. What would he do?

I need to remember, I need the reminder that as tight as things may get for us, as tough as things may become for us in the months to come, we have a wonderful God who will provide for us, and there are so many people who don't know My God. There are so many people who will have needs that I need to do what I can to help meet them. We need to never tire of caring for others. We need to never tire of helping someone else who is going through a rough time. Because Jesus will never stop caring. He will never stop wanting to help those who need help, and if I am going to become more Christ-like, I need to dig in and find that compassion, and I need to use it. And with God's help, maybe we can make a difference for Him.