I recently visited downtown Chicago to meet up with friend. Prior to getting on the train, I had stopped at CVS and bought 2 large bottles of Gatorade. As I was getting off the train, I realized just how heavy my bag now was. To lighten my load, I decided to give one of the Gatorades away. I walked out of the station and saw a man sitting there with a sign asking for help. I walked over and asked if he wanted my drink, to which he graciously accepted. I walked away feeling good about myself and thought I had done “my good deed” for the day.
Later that night I came home and read an eye-opening article called “Drifting Towards Hope” by Vinh Chung. The article talked about Chung’s life as a refugee and his family’s transformation when they came to the US. In his story, Chung referenced Luke 12:48 . This verse tells us if we are blessed with many opportunities and resources, we are expected to give back that much more. Reading this passage caused me to think back to my “good deed” earlier that day.
Looking back, I realized there are a few things wrong with what I did that morning. One being that I originally only gave my extra Gatorade away so my bag would be lighter, not to help someone else. The second was I simply handed my drink over without really engaging in much conversation with the man. The third thing I realized while reading that article, is that giving the Gatorade away was a good thing to do, but in no way should it be a thing that makes me feel good about myself. It is pretty sad to think I considered giving a drink to someone in need is “good deed”. Yes, it was a nice thing to do. However, it is also something I should be doing on a daily basis. I am so blessed to have the life I have been given. Considering all the resources I have in this world, I should not think twice about giving food and drink away. I should be doing much more giving in my life.
Now, it is easy to create a long list of all the things we “should be doing”. As we all know, it is much harder to put those words into actions. However, going forward, it may help to remember all the recources you have in your life, and that because you are given so much, it is then your job to give back in return. As people who are living with so much “stuff “, shouldn’t it be our job to help those who are living with so little?
AshleyKPerez 