Anyway, getting out the door...it's an Olympic decathlon in which I am nowhere near the front, but once we're in the car I try to make the best use of our time before the kids are off at school. We sing and joke and practice for tests and some days just chat.
Yesterday, we were singing and the song Do Something by Matthew West was on. Insert the crazy lady crying in her car. The basis of this song is how angry we get when we see or hear of injustices and then we shake our fists at God asking why He doesn't do something about it.
Except He did.
He made me and you.
We are the 'Do Somethings'.
The great part of us being the 'Do Somethings' is we aren't all the same doers. We think and do differently, and I have the most perfect example of doing the do differently.
My friend has the most beautiful heart. She asked if she and her kids could join us in serving with the Tulsa Homeless Outreach last March. I was thrilled. She asked what to bring and I suggested drinks. She loaded up her coolers with over 100 pops. She filled a need of thirst and spoiled the homeless with something other than water.
Don't get me wrong, water is GREAT! We take water every month, but something new is always nice. That pop was wiped out in about 5 minutes, and the men and women who were receiving smiled ear to ear. I loved seeing their faces. I loved that Sarah, my friend, said yes to serving that day.
But, that's not what I wanted to share. She brought what I suggested and something else. Something I would have never thought of. Something so precious it still gets me a little weepy and emotional. She brought 100 long stem roses for her boys to give to the women there.
Is that not the most thoughtful, sweet, precious thing you ever heard of??? In NO way would I have ever thought of that. What was even more beautiful was it wasn't just the women looking for flowers, the men loved them as well. Just like James and his newest puppy Little Man (I found that completely hilarious since our oldest in Little Man too).
(If someone could shed a little light on what the heck MY kid is doing, it would be greatly appreciated. I think he's trying to shoot a basket, but WHY is beyond me....)
The point to all of this is you can do something. Maybe money and resources is what you are lacking. Give time. Maybe time is what you are lacking. Give money and resources. However, I've noticed in our lives giving what we have the least of is exactly what we needed to give in the first place. Being apart of the Tulsa Homeless Outreach has enriched our lives in indescribable ways. Our family loves meeting new people, listening to their needs and fulfilling those needs. It is our greatest love language.
So here I am today challenging to Do Something and I'm going to list a few ways to get involved. Sometimes it's lack of knowledge that keeps us from getting our hands and feet moving. Here are a few ways to make a difference...
- Volunteer to spend time with children at hospitals whose family members cannot be with them during the week. My sweet friend, Lisa, noticed one day how many young children were all alone at the hospital because parents HAD to work to pay the bills. She is now doing something about that.
- Volunteer to form relationships with the elderly at nursing homes. My mom is so wonderful about this. She takes such great care of my grandma in Springfield, MO. She's there a couple of times a month. What I love about her is she doesn't just meet my grandma's needs, she offers her services to the other ladies and gentlemen at the retirement center. When she is home, she helps care for a woman in a local nursing home. She called the director and asked who had relatives living out of state. She wanted help relieve the stress off those caregivers while forming a relationship with a new person.
- Have a Beautification Day. Pick up the trash at a local park. Plant some flowers for a neighbor. Mow someone's yard. Buy some landscaping for an organization who is struggling.
- Find out what needs local food banks have and start collecting.
- Adopt children through programs like Compassion International or Mission of Hope. We sponsor Luis and Lesly. Luis is Little Man's age, both born on November 6th, and Lesly is Little Miss's age, both born on October 15th. In a year or so, Chubby Cheekers will get to form a special relationship with a child that was born on February 16th just like him. This has been such a blessing to our family. The kids have someone specific to pray for and love on despite having never met them. We have dreams of going to Luis' home village in Peru and Lesly's hometown in Mexico and physically hugging their necks. I can't even contain the emotions just thinking about it.
And if you are curious about the song I referenced, here ya' go...
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