Picture taken January 7th REUTERS/Jim Young http://blogs.reuters.com/photographers-blog/tag/poverty/
This picture is inspiring. It exemplifies one of the many ways we can do our good turn daily. As a Christian and a scout I have been taught to do a good turn daily, the scout slogan. The bible also states, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed” (Proverbs 19:17). This man is battling poverty, not by giving the man money which would only be used to buy more alcohol or narcotics, but buy giving him what he needs, a warm pair of shoes for the winter. It is actions like this that we need to focus on. My favorite analogy of poverty is that it’s a hole and once u dig down far enough that you can’t get out, it requires assistance from another to ever be able to leave that hole. I like to believe that in many cases, the needy are the most humble and pure people on this world and that the rich are the most corrupted. I believe that God made the poor not to test the hearts of those suffering, but to test the hearts of the rich, giving them an opportunity to use their wealth the way God intended. One of the many virtues of Christians is sacrifice, because those who sacrifice everything on earth, get rewarded in heaven tenfold. However, it is important to remember one cannot make it into heaven on deeds alone. Helping out the poor is one way to do a good turn daily, and the benefits are shared by both the receiver and the giver. Go help someone today.