Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Opening Our Eyes

How neat is this...

During devotions this morning, I ran across a few things that I thought were important to share.

Proverbs 28:27 - "Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed."

*Think about it. God promises that He will supply our needs... But often times He goes about doing that through using the resources he has given us - people! I can't help but ask myself... What am I doing right now that is helping God supply others' needs? Volunteering isn't only about giving to people, it is about being of service to GOD! How exciting AND motivating. :)

Proverbs 29:7 - "The godly care about the rights of the poor; the wicked don't care at all."

Proverbs 31:20 - "She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy."
*This verse [really all of Proverbs 31] is describing the ideal wife/woman. Not only does she do for her family and put their needs before her own, she also gives to those less fortunate. Now all the specifics are not something we can conquer in one sitting or even one year; however, these qualities are something we should use as an inspiration - something to aspire to in all of our futures.

Goal for the week: find a real way to give back!

<3 Until next time, Jordan Leigh

The Beginning of a Journey

[Okay, bear with me...]

The way this will probably make the most sense is if I go back to last week. After a few months of looking into local volunteering options and researching ways to help out, it hit me like a ton of bricks... I truly want to make a difference. Not just in the community, but within myself.

I know, I know. It sounds crazy... But so much has been going on lately. During all this, I really have finally found so much peace and a new-found excitement. Preparing for it to be something temporary, I have decided to stand firm and hold on for the ride - I will not let go of this feeling! Bottom line - it is time for us to get REAL.

I guess I don't really know how to make sense of it all, but I do know that it's time for us to stop begin so self-involved, self-absorbed, and self-righteous. Now, I know I have always been eager to volunteer and helping others is one of the many things that brought me into the nursing field in the first place; however, there is MORE to just helping out. [I know this sound crazy.]

I see so many people go through the motions - sadly so many volunteers, families, and even Christians seem to do what they feel they have to do to "get by" to say "well, I do this or I do that.." When are we all going to start doing EVERYTHING we can and for the RIGHT reasons? No titles, no status-quo, no stereotypes.

Why don't the people that have extra time on their hands spend it at soup kitchens, homeless shelters, or other non-profit organizations?

Why don't people that are well-off give to those struggling to make ends meet? Or even make donations to organizations in need?

Most importantly... Why aren't we, as Christians, out there trying to spread the word that God is real, Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again, and that salvation is the answer... Why don't we care enough to DO SOMETHING? The world needs to see our excitement about God and needs to see us ecstatic about our eternity in Heaven [which I will touch on in a later post].

I am in the middle of reading many, many different books at the moment [Again, I know that's nuts]... One of them stated roughly 250,000 people die every day. You know what that means? Every day, those people either go to Heaven or hell!!! What are we doing just "going to church"? We need to be out there reaching the lost!

Okay, I suppose all this is coming from doing a lot of reading, devotions, our recent youth retreat, some discussions in our women's bible study, and a humbling new TV show. But honestly people, don't you think it's time to get REAL. No matter what you do, are, or consider yourself... Don't you think it's time to just be real?

IM EXCITED!!! Let's make a difference... Let's be true role models... Let's be real witnesses.

<3