“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try and cheer somebody else up.”
Mark Twain
We can get so inward-focused, can’t we? If we’re not feeling right, if we get caught up in the world’s drama, we can get find ourselves in a downward spiral of doom and gloom. How do we get out of a deep funk? Cheer someone else up!
Greed is not exclusive to the rich or poor. Yet, I see a connection between greed and poverty. It may not have anything to do with physical wealth.
Several months back, I read an article that stated upper-middle-class and upper-class families were hoarding wealth because they feared it could disappear at any time. Burglaries and theft occur in poorer neighborhoods because someone feels they deserve more than their neighbor and feel justified in taking it from them.
At the same time, I have felt encouraged and emboldened when a story comes out about a generous person. The story may focus on a rich individual, but also may feature a middle-class or poor person that gave out of the generosity of their heart.
Greed is less about the pursuit of having enough and more about a scarcity mindset that makes the person feel justified in taking from another.
Greedy people try to get rich quick but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty.
Proverbs 28:22 (NLT)
Asking for donations can be a tricky business. While there are many generous people, it isn’t hard to find someone who is reluctant to give for any cause. After all, you can’t squeeze blood from a turnip!
Where in the world, did, the phrase come from? When I did a search, it appears it’s one of those proverbs that came out of nowhere. I forgot that “you can’t get blood from a stone,” is a variation on this, I wouldn’t recommend trying to get blood from either one.
I had the opportunity to interview two pastors about the California Creek Fire in Fresno County and how the churches have rallied together to bring relief efforts in the area. The article appeared on the Church of God News Blog on October 1, 20202. Here’s a link.
The fire began over a month ago. As I write this on October 7, 2020, the fire is still only 49% contained. Thankfully, most of the fire is in sparsely inhabited areas. Largely, this fire is no longer in the national news cycle. It’s no wonder. When I checked The LA Times map of current wildfires, there were twenty-nine active California wildfires. That’s a lot to keep track of!
However, the way the churches rallied in this wildfire response inspired me. Here was a group of people that under normal, prosperous times may have eyed each other as competitors. But as the fire endangered their community, they knew they had more in common than not.
So it can be hard to remain an optimist when things are literally burning around you. But it is so helpful to remain positive and to give help where needed. I loved the outlook Pastor Shawn Beaty displayed.
God uses traumas, trials, and transitions to bring people to him.
Shawn Beaty: Clovis Hills Community Church
Some relief workers had to evacuate. No doubt, relief workers were concerned they could lose their own property. In the early days, the fire was unpredictable and it was a very fluid situation. But the pastors observed the members that were in the best frame of mind were those who were helping others. Instead of despairing, the churches were aiding those who may have been in similar or worse situations.
Sure, we can see the troubles all around us as obstacles worth complaining about. Or like the churches in this article, we can put our resources together and do some good in tough situations.
It’s been such a challenge lately to count our blessings. Then again, when is it not a challenge? There is something within all of us that longs for something more, even when we are richly blessed.
John D. Rockefeller was one of the richest men of his time. When someone asked him, “How much money is enough?” he replied, “Just a little bit more.” As the reference states, he was also quite a philanthropist and a person of faith. Still, few people have ever reached the level of success and wealth he possessed. Yet, he was tempted to keep pursuing more.
We can be so busy pursuing wealth and success that we forget to be thankful for what we have. When that dissatisfaction affects our mood and actions, it can actually backfire. We may be tempted to pursue get-rick-quick schemes. We may decide to cut corners or cheat when we feel we must do what it takes to get a little more.
Counting our blessings is a remedy for that. It reminds us of what we already have. Yet, today’s quote states, it can be the hardest arithmetic to master.
Counting our blessings will not cause us to become complacent and stop excelling. On the contrary, gratitude opens us up for more blessings. No matter where you are, take some time to be grateful today.
