news. bleh.

i don't receive the newspaper or watch any kind of news on tv. i rarely know what is going on if the people around me don't talk about it. sometimes i get curious and check the headlines on the internet, but i often get so discouraged and sad. today i had time, and i regret reading the main KATU stories. my heart breaks for the two year old that was beaten to death by her parents, who were trying to teach her "manners". i can't fathom the families of everyone affected by the shooting in downtown portland, and hearing about a 93 year old man freezing to death in his home frightens me. i see so much pain and heartache in the lives of the people around me and i really don't see any reason to subject myself to more depressing stuff. my mind is boggled with all of the "what if..." scenarios.

what if someone had mentored those young parents or modeled how to raise kids to them?

what if someone had reached out to that lonely man?

how many people have guest bedrooms empty, but are too afraid or selfish to open up their homes?

as i was babysitting last night, the little girl was offering to give me some of her prized possessions. i politely declined, and thought briefly about what the parents would've said. i remember trying to give things away generously when i was younger, and my parents telling me not too. i understand why they limited my generosity, but how does God want us to live? if i lived that generously, i may not have very much...but what do i really need?

how much of my time, love and my blessings have i given freely? these stories could have had drastically different endings if people around them had been generous. that blows my mind!

little acts of selflessness can change the lives of many.

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:25