I know it shouldn’t bug me cause we spent much more than we should have on gifts and indulgence this Christmas as well but Jusin Beiber got a 60 million dollar jet for Christmas…Maybe he could fly some food to one of the almost million children that live in poverty in Canada…it amazes me that we live in a world where one child can breath their last breath due to hunger or an illness that wasn’t cured because they couldn’t afford the medicine and another can get a $60 million jet plane or lamborghini for Christmas.
I know the common argument is that rich people earned their money or give a lot to charity and they are not responsible for a stranger who is starving or sick or living in poverty….but Why aren’t they?
As I look under my Christmas tree where all the unwrapped presents are scattered, most still in the box because they are luxury items not necessities. We’ll enjoy them when we find time or get bored with everything else we have…and yet there are people in my city who have no food, no shelter, no compassion, no warm coat or clothes.
A few weeks ago my child needed a new warm coat because she didn’t have one and was taking the bus to work during a cold snap. I knew she was getting one at the end of the month from elsewhere but she needed one then, so I went out and bought one. There are many who must send their child out the door in the cold, knowing they are not warm enough, bundled in all they have at the moment. The parent’s heart breaking because they know their child is hungry and tired of the same meals, the only ones they can afford. Parents who work as hard as they can, trying to be there for their childs every need, trying to find proper child care when they do work and enough money for the basic necessities when they don’t…..and yet they are looked down on for not having money….and yet we raise a generation of kids who receive expensive gifts they aren’t grateful for, who throw away an abundance of food and waste and tell them if they serve at a soup kitchen once in a while or donate their outdated clothes that it’s okay to ignore the needs of others.
We claim to be a Christian nation yet I hear Christians complain constantly about those who are in need milking the system and making harsh judgements on who deserves help and who doesn’t. We say we want to be humanitarians but have 20 something pop stars getting $60 million dollar jets so they can run around the world acting like spoiled brats with no concern for others unless it is a publicity campaign.
While I tried hard to make this Christmas perfect for my family and loved ones and find joy in bringing them smiles, I gave weekly food and donations to those in need but I often feel like a failure….like I should and could do more. How do I live a life that is so full of joy, peace, warmth, love, food, clean water, all my needs and a bunch of wants when I know there are others who have needs I should and could find a way to meet.
I guess my New Years resolution is a continuation of my Good Works project for Willa’s Gift- to try harder to be kinder, to do more to help more, to spend less time thinking about the change I want to see and spend more time being the change there needs to be.
I hope that others will follow their resolutions to be kinder and more charitable. I know from experience that giving of yourself to others is the fastest way to find happiness for yourself. On February 12th I am giving a presentation at Ignite London on the benefit of Basic Needs prescriptions and Mental Health emergency rooms. While I try to stear clear of resolutions most years I found that the gratitude in my heart for the abundance of blessings this year has led to a strengthened desire to give and since I have little money to give to others I do have time and talent that Heavenly Father gave me and one of those things is a voice…to beg others to find someone in need and change their day…you could change their life.
Willa Michele's Gift 