Bless 'em

Although the mass hysteria to purchase truckloads of toilet paper has died down, there is still a significant shortage of the stuff we need on the grocer's shelves. The truckloads of goods come and go, but there still doesn't seem to be a restock of all that once existed on the shelves. I have observed more and more posts telling us how to 'make yeast' from various household items because it is scarce in the markets. We see posts proclaiming new ways to create hand sanitizer from aloe and isoprophyl alcohol; kitchen wipes using a half roll of paper towels submerged in a small amount of bleach and water solution; or even the re-emergence of the use of hydrogen peroxide to sanitize items. As the saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of invention." Some are more than 'well-stocked', having amassed a great deal of resources for their 'quarantined existence', while others are still frequenting the stores at the earliest time possible in hopes of obtaining just a few things they really need in order to make it through this week. There is nothing wrong with being prepared, or even wise in how we use things we already have, but when we deny others the very thing they have real need of in their lives, is this what God would want? While we could apply this to our 'stockpiles' of quarantine goods, we can equally apply it to the good things we have in our lives that God has provided all along in life. How about that good sense of humor - give it away to others who are needing a good laugh today. What about your gift of song - find a corner in your yard and let it rip - bless someone today with a melody of praise and worship. Maybe it is your talent to create - dig out that sewing machine, hunker down and sew a few masks for your local food bank workers so they can continue to meet the needs of the hungry while staying protected themselves. We all have so much to give from what is already in our 'resource rich' lives, but it takes action to give!

As the saying goes: Those who love money will never be satisfied with money, and those who love riches will never be happy with what they have. This, too, is fleeting. The more goods there are, the more people there are to consume them. How does any of this really benefit the owners except they can gaze proudly on their possessions? Sweet sleep comes to those who work hard, regardless of how much or how little they’ve eaten. But the abundance of the rich keeps them awake at night. (Ecclesiastes 5:10-12)

We all have things we can give in this time of great need across our countries. It may not have been much in the eyes of some with greater wealth, but even the widow's mite blessed the socks off of God! You and I have some form of a 'widow's mite' in our possession, but we have to be willing to give it away in order for it to be a blessing to anyone. We could not be more trusting of God's provision than to use what he has given us so freely to allow a blessing to come into another's life. This blog won't be long today because it is merely intended to give us food for thought. What is it you 'possess' that you can put to use today to bless another? What is it you have been gifted with as a talent that could be put to good use in order to create something of usefulness that would meet the need of someone who cannot meet their own need right now? Maybe you can still drive and are well enough to shop around the stores - be a blessing to those who cannot. Perhaps you have a high pressure washer and you could ask your neighbors if you could be a blessing by washing out their trash receptacles for them while you have time on your hands. You could place a large cardboard box at the edge of your driveway with a large sign indicating you are collecting non-perishable donations for a local shelter or food bank - then take it down to them once it is filled. There are tons of ways to be a blessing right now - using this quarantined time to do more than binge watch TV or surf the net. Begin by asking God to show you how to bless others and then be open to what he shows you to do! Just thinkin....