GR8 Thoughts and Musings

Was struck by a thought/insight I thought I’d share . . .
It all started when I drove by a local corner that is the “work” place of 4-6 homeless men & women. They have signs of various degrees of humor and seriousness asking for money.
Like most of you, I’m always wondering whether to give them money, how to explain this to my children, etc. During such thoughts, I was struck with this train of thought (see if you can catch it )
• They must get donations regularly or they wouldn’t stand there
• People give on the spur of the moment . . . mostly I’d guess
• They are motivated by impromptu guilt or compassion to help these people
• This is the way we often live our lives and catch our motivation
• I want to be different
This really has nothing to do with the discussion of whether you should give to homeless people with signs (If you’re interested in that see the excellent reference here). What I was struck with was that we should live our lives in a deliberate manner, choosing what to do with our lives and resources.
In general, I believe many of us too often and some of us almost all the time live our lives “tossed to and fro by every wind of feeling” (Vague reference to Ephesians 4:14 in the Bible). Those who live more joyful lives live more deliberate lives. When we make choices ahead of time based on what’s most important, we are happier, more loving and confident.
Example: I don’t give money to people holding signs on the street because I do give money to the church and causes I believe in. I also have a fund of money, as God blesses me, that I give as He moves me and my family. Therefore I don’t feel guilty not giving to the people on those corners and am occasionally blessed to be able to help someone in need.
What do you think? Do you think living a deliberate life is better, more joyful and more what Jesus did? Why don’t we do this more (or do we)?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 8th, 2006 at 6:26 pm and is filed under Discussion Questions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.