Wednesday, December 15, 2004

The Christmas Spirit?

Is life getting harder and harder? Is poverty more common? Do we live in harder times? Last year I was struck by how many people around me were in some sort of financial difficulty. But this year the stories have been many and heart breaking. Frankly, hard times are hard times, everyone goes through them, but when kids (especially little kids) are involved my heart just aches.

Although I think there are some things on the flip side that need to be considered. One of which is the stories that I hear are nothing compared to the horror that is going on elsewhere in the world. My fat self-indulged American mind cannot comprehend the misery and lifestyle these people are going through. Starvation, War, Rape and so many other atrocities. The stories I hear of the people in my hometown who are struggling are not even close in comparison to the reality these people and kids face everyday.

Additionally, one of my favorite quotes which is taken from 7 habits for highly effective people goes "The Lord words from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature." (Ezra Taft Benson) I cannot count the many stories I have heard of people who had nothing as a child or lived a terrible existence growing up were able to perserver by either taking themselves out of the slums or with the help of God having those slums taken out of them. Walter Wattles, a forgotten financial compass of the early 1900's speaks of not dwelling on the hardships of others, because what you dwell on, you soon own, and what you own you are.

So yeah, I'll happily give the change in my pocket to help... But does it help?

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