At What Cost?

I begin this post (low and behold a fifth time while listening to the Beastie Boys first album, and now into a Blink 182 greatest hits; yeah I know, act my age!) with asking the question "How much are we willing to invest in helping others become the best version of themselves?" There is a time for everyone to decide on these issues and it has recently become relevant to me to ask myself this question. And this will have lasting effects for me, my family, friends and co-workers...so it is an important question for me to ask, and to post. I have a number of irons in the fire I will call initiatives for now. Since I am a christian minister do I decide everything I do should be placed into a set of parameters with each thing I do having a specific time frame or day to work at helping those who need a helping hand to get them along the way? Is there a certain time of the day, or days of the week that I 'minister to others'? Most of the manuals and guide books teach that we should be specific in defining tasks so as not to neglect family time, or physical exercise, or just time to unwind and relax. I'm not sure that I can whole heartedly agree because times of need don't occur in specified time frames (o'yeah! we all know late night/early morning phone calls of panic from loved ones!) or on certain days of the week, because believe it or not, every day is the Lord's Day if you believe in a christian world-view.Times of need do not wait on us for the perfect moment when we don't have things going on. They happen when we least want to answer the phone or get dressed and run out the door, or leave a grandchilds birthday party because no one remembered what to do with a hundred pound, year old puppy at a house without a fenced in yard (Hey poppa, Walmart is just down the road!)! The God I believe in gave His All so that we can have a fulfilled and righteous life now, and into the future we believe is coming. Am I willing to walk in His steps, and give my everything so that another can have a better life? Is it important enough for me to invest the possibility for every minute, hour, or day offering helping hands to a world of people hurting and in need? All of the Gospels in the Christian Bible teach us of a selfless Savior who came into the world to show us all how to live with each other in harmony no matter what is happening in the world around us. I want to live a life that is a living legacy to the people coming after me because someone needs to show the future generations that other people really are important in the bigger scheme of everyday life. We too often get stuck focusing on a certain tree that doesn't seem to be growing in the right place, or in the right direction, and we forget that we are standing on the edge of a forrest full of trees that we can cultivate into the most vibrant life giving trees. My grandson should be able to put aside his video game long enough to help a child on the play ground that can't quite reach the first bar on the jungle gym (he barely can himself! Amen!) and my granddaughter should know its ok to give a hug to another little girl pitching a fit in fear when left at school by the only mother she's ever known. These little ones are very perceptive and it's on us to show them the way when it comes to helping others. My grandfather owned a Snapper lawn mower dealership/repair shop where I learned some of the most important lessons of life that remained just memories until relevant times brought them back to me. One particular lesson I remember vividly was him getting a last minute call to check on an older lady's lawn mower at her home as a house call when leaving for the day. We pulled into her yard and my Grandad fixed the mower, and then cut her grass because the neighborhood kid was gone by this time...and when he found out she was on a fixed retirement income chose not to charge her any money but took some fresh vegetables from her garden as payment. I remember that my grandmother wasn't too happy with the incident, but it has had a lasting effect on me for almost forty years. He was a Mason, Shriner and Deacon at his church and was the living embodiment of a benevolent christian life in action in these United States. He was a living, breathing American man that didn't shun hard work or offering a helping hand when the need arose. I want to be able to live up to an image like that for my kids and grandkids! As I sit on this stump thinking about these things, and how important and relevant it is for me to share these story lessons with others, I hope that God moves many of you to seek the best in yourselves to help bring out the best in others, passing the Helping Hand forward to someone else in need. And if nothing more, then share a story or two that will motivate others to live this American Dream for all its worth! And I will sit contemplating the next tale I need to tell from this old tree stump...