Tuesday 4~ Selfless Service

 

Tuesday 4

Selfless Service


(Note from Annie, our hostess):

Hello dear friends and welcome to another edition of Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. Thank you so much for taking part and heloing make this a lot of fun.
Mister Linky, the site I use to help you sign in for Tuesday 4 is down right now, so if you want to take part, please leave your name and a link to your site in the comments HERE so people can visit you and see your answers. As soon as Mister Linky gets straigntened out I will place it at the bottom for sign up so please check back again later.


Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave their lives in service to the nation. But if you
think of it, you don't need to be a combatant to serve others.

We rarely celebrate those people who serve in the shadows unseen and largely unknown.


1. What are ways people can serve others?

There are so many needy people around us these days...homeless, elderly, widows and widowers, and those who are battling serious illnesses.  Look for ways to comfort them, provide a meal, run errands, call and check on them, send cards of encouragement and let them know people care and are praying for them, offer to do little things to help them.  If you are not physically or financially able to do much, often times just that phone call or card is the best way you can help, and it means a lot to others.


2. What areas of service do you see as being very important today?

There are so many...people who have been displaced by disasters such as storms...hurricanes, tornadoes, floods. We may not be able to do much personally, but we can donate to organizations who do have the resources to provide the help that is needed. On a local level where I live, there are many people in need of food and clothing, and there is a lot of poverty among the children in the schools.  Our church tries to provide for children in the elementary schools by donating backpacks, shoes, underwear throughout the year, and then we always have a drive to provide gifts for them at Christmas...not just toys, but also clothing and school supplies.  Our community also has a "Soup Kitchen" that provides a hot meal every day, and there are several food pantries that provide food to those in need. Our church supports these ministries.  We also support a Children's Home for children who are orphaned for one reason or another.

Our church has a Thrift Store, where we can donate clothing and household goods. People can buy items at a very low price, or, if they are truly in need (due to fire or homelessness or other disaster in their lives) they may get whatever they need without having to pay.


3. What service organizations do you think have gone above and beyond in service to others lately?

Samaritan's Purse is a very good organization that goes to disaster sites and provides workers, food, clothing, whatever is needed.  Also many church denomination organizations have Disaster Relief programs that do the same thing. The Salvation Army is another good organization. With so many hurricanes and tornadoes in our country, these types of organizations are kept extremely busy and they definitely deserve whatever support we are able to give.

St. Jude's Hospital for children is another exceptional organization.


4. Do you know of anyone who has served their fellow man selflessly or have you anything to add on the subect of selfless service?

There are so many people throughout history and currently who go beyond the call of duty to help others. On a local level, there has been one woman in our church who organized the programs to help our elementary school children at Christmas and beyond and worked so hard behind the scenes purchasing items out of her own resources to make sure every child had a gift at Christmas. She is also a retired nurse, but has used her nursing skills tirelessly to help others in our community and church as needed.  There is another woman in our church who battled breast cancer herself, but even throughout her own struggles she continued to care for others as a caregiver, even when she herself needed to be cared for. Thankfully she is cancer free now, but still has had some serious health issues, and yet she continues to look out for the needs of others first and foremost, even to her own detriment sometimes. I admire these women because they are the kind of people who always put others first and do so with a smile and with much love and concern.  

James 1:27 says this:  "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Jesus said this in Luke 6: 27-31

27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you."

Amen!