“I Created You”
By Tracy Smith
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it
to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to
me!’”
Matthew 25:40 (NLT)
Driving down the road, we heard
these lyrics,
“Well, I just couldn't bear the thought of
People living in poverty
People living in poverty
Children sold into slavery
The thought disgusted me
So, I shook my fist at Heaven
Said, ‘God, why don't You do something?’
The thought disgusted me
So, I shook my fist at Heaven
Said, ‘God, why don't You do something?’
He said, ‘I did, I created
you’" [1, emphasis mine]
“OUCH!” I looked into the back of
the van to see how my son could have possibly hurt himself sitting in the seat.
When I looked back, I realized that his exclamation was in response to the song
lyrics. Ouch, indeed!
It’s daunting to think about
poverty, human trafficking, slavery, homelessness, addiction - - what can I possibly
do to help with these huge problems? Where do I start?
Prayer is a first step. Pray for all
these situations and for those caught in them, but also pray that God would
show you what you can do to help those in need.
You also don’t have to start from
scratch regarding what you can do to help. Look around - - there are many
organizations already in place that are doing this work. Find out how you can
volunteer. My church has a “Community Partnerships” page on our website. This
page lists the different organizations that our church works with and supports.
These organizations vary greatly in whom they help (homeless, those who have
been trafficked, those who need physical help, those who need medical care), Pray
about where God needs you and your talents to help those in need…and then do
something.
Remember - - with God’s help you can
make a difference!
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
Those that attend Oakwood and are wondering where they can help - -
click HERE to go to our Community Partnerships page
and HERE to go to our Mission:Hope page - - where
would you fit it as a volunteer?
2. Those that don’t attend Oakwood, start with
Google and see what your local community/church has available.
FURTHER
READING:
Along with
being a wife and mother to two teenage sons, Tracy is a ministry assistant at
Oakwood and works with a great group of Junior High girls.
[1] Matthew West, “Do Something,” album: Into the Light, 2012.
You can listen/watch the song by clicking HERE.
