Last week I wrote about how important it is to teach our children to do the right thing. But the real message I wanted to convey is that the best way to teach people is to model that behavior ourselves. Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done… and I am guilty quite often myself. Let me give you an example.
The sign hanging at my daughter’s house that I mentioned in my last Monday Message had a dozen “Family Rules”. Two of them, however, are related. “Share” and “Think of Others Before Yourself”. Even as kindergarteners we are taught to share, but somehow, as go down life’s rocky roadway, it gets harder and harder to do that. I hate to admit it, but I have trouble sharing sometimes. And by that I mean giving things, like my money, time, possessions, etc.
Actually though, I’ve always considered myself a generous person. I mean… I do tip generously, I donate to charities, and I buy girl scout cookies… even though they’re not good for me. But at the same time I worry about money in the back of my mind when I do give to others, especially now that I am “semi-retired”, and I also I worry that my wife will have enough money if something ever happens to me.
So with that going on in the back of my mind, my wife started a new Charity this year. It’s a wonderful cause called, “My Own - A Case for Kids” and she is super excited about it. Her goal is to raise enough money, clothing, and essential items to be able to create 340 fully filled suitcases this year that are gender and age specific, to be given to Foster Kids in Orange County. In her first two months she already delivered 60 suitcases to the County of Orange Social Services Agency, and they were absolutely thrilled! But as with most new ventures, she needed seed money to get started, quite a lot of it. And that’s where I come in.
My wife is super hard working, and awesomely inspiring, so I definitely want to support her cause. But the fear of spending so much money on a new charity was stressful for me. But then two things happened on the same day. First, we received handwritten notes from several young children that received a “suitcase of their own”. What they wrote was both heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time. My stress for myself went down as I thought about the stress those poor kids have to endure every day. The second thing that happened, was that when I did my daily Bible reading, I came across Psalm 112:4-5. When I read it, I was reminded that the more we give to others, the more we will receive in return. That’s when my stress stopped altogether. How can I stress when I know that my wife will be successful with her goal of helping others… and that God will always be successful in His goal of helping us!
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