Helping Others

by Michele Boy | September 7, 2023

Here we are in September. I thought the summer flew by. Well, hang onto your hats,  I feel like this week I was strapped into a rollercoaster speeding down the track. It’s not all bad but it is crazy. 
 We spent a couple hours helping sort cattle this weekend with my father in-law. The memories we built were so great, I wanted to work cattle all day. lol.  
That’s not a big deal to most people around here but for the girl who could n’t tell the difference between a sheep and a goat, I have come a long way.
 We lead busy lives. I run my daughter here or there, we take care of sheep, dogs, cats, along with household chores and work. 
We are planning on leaving for the state fair when the paper hits stands today.
 In all the busyness that comes with our lives right now, we carved out some time to help with our church. 
I delivered some meals last Wednesday.  I was surprised to find that just thirty minutes of helping could bring such joy. 
I visited with people I wouldn’t normally have contact with. 
When I returned tearful, I was reminded why we go to church. 
Once a week I sit in a pew with people of all different ages who think completely different than me.  I spend time away from all the distractions of the world, and I focus on God. 
 The times we are offered to serve others, I admit I usually blow off.
 When the opportunity comes to serve, do we answer the call? 
It’s hard to balance helping, self care, house chores, getting kids here or there, and work.
I didn’t mention fun, did I? Lol. That will come later I think.
 Time is so precious. What do we do with it? Sometimes I am wiped out and just need a nap.
But stopping to visit with someone from a different generation, learning about their life, shaing with them a bit of our life has rewards.
 In all our go, go, go, I think we forget that there is a time to stop. There is a time to just say hi to someone who doesn’t get out very much.
 All I can say is I got way more out of delivering those meals than anyone I served. 
And my daughter enjoyed helping in the church kitchen. I think about the relationships she is building there too. 
If you have the chance to carve out some time, to serve at your church, I highly recommend it. 
 So often church is the first thing I can blow off. Yet it is the place I am refreshed the most.
 I see so many activities that crowd out church and God. 
Sometimes I participate in them too. 
 Someone out there could use your smiling face. Someone out there needs your fresh perspective on life. And sometimes we need more from them than we realize. 
So if an opportunity comes your way, take it. Maybe visit a church  you might like. Help at an activity. There is plenty of work to go around. 
The workers out there could use a few extra hands. No, they won’t think exactly like you. Maybe they will say something that doesn’t sit quite right either. But that’s okay. It is not our job to make people more like us. 
But it might be our job to go love somebody.