Do good.

     One lone seashell was carried by the waves rolling up on the shore.  It was visible through the translucent ocean water but not fully, just barely, as though it was more of a mirage than an actual shell.  As the tide continued to churn, the shell was constantly in upheaval, moving forward and back and forward again. 

     I watched it intently.  With a hand full of shells for some reason, I was drawn to this one.  It wasn’t perfect, in fact, it appeared to be broken in half, but still the part that remained was beautiful.  There’s something oddly poetic about a broken shell.  Clearly, it was once whole, but there was a specific moment in time when it wasn’t anymore.  Or maybe there were many moments; times when it was broken by one thing or another.  Regardless of how it happened, it causes one to wonder, how?  As the shell has followed the ebb and flow of the ocean, where has it gone?  If it had eyes, what would it have seen?

     I watched this one roll in and out with the tide and something inside nagged me to go grab it.  But it was submerged beneath the waves.  I didn’t really want to get my feet wet when there were mounds of shells on the dry sand, without the threat of waves.  I continued to watch it for a bit, waiting for the waves to roll back and bring it to dry land.  Once, when my attention was diverted, the waves did begin to bring it to the shore, but once I looked back, it had begun to sink back into the clear blue water.

     Finally, I gave up on the shell.  I continued on, picking up several other shells that were probably just as or more beautiful.  But I couldn’t get my mind off of the one shell that I had left behind.  This shell wasn’t inherently worth any more than the other shells as far as I knew, but then again, I didn’t know.  I hadn’t given the effort to find out. 

     This created a striking paradox in my mind.  That shell was worth going for just like every person is worth helping and every goal is worth achieving.  I think that sometimes, I settle for the easy way.  I make great goals of all the things that I want to accomplish and the people that I want to help, but when it comes down to it, I am not willing to put in the 110%.  When the going gets tough, I pull back.

     I settle for a false sense of fulfillment in fake achievement.  I know I am capable of so much more, but sometimes my feet become numb and I can’t get them to leave the dry sand to venture into the waves.  Doing anything worthwhile is going to have its unknowns and its sacrifices.  It’s not worth it to settle for the many things that are easy to attain when there are so many more riches to be discovered in the unknown.

     I had another experience like this recently.  I have been working for Urban Family Ministries; a non-profit that serves primarily black families living largely in rough neighborhoods and struggling with poverty and instability.  As I climbed the stairs back to my cubicle, my arms loaded with craft supplies for the after-school program, I dropped a container of plastic gemstones.  They scattered everywhere on the carpeted floor, their many colors reflecting light on the ceiling and walls.  Dropping to my knees to pick up the gem stones, I was struck with a realization.  These stones were just like the children that I was serving.  Each one so full of its own unique beauty and potential, but scattered by the inept hands of others.  Each of these children goes through so much in their young lives.  They are exposed to things that age them considerably and make them hardened to kindness or help of any kind.  It isn’t their fault, but they have to deal with the consequences of others’ actions.  Without a loving hand to scoop them up and care for them, they are often left on their own to deal with their anger and hurt.  It’s not fair, but it’s their life.

     The majority of people that will read this post most likely would not be able to relate to the struggles of these children.  Yes, every person experiences their own kind of suffering, but how often do we move past that suffering to help someone else.  We have been so blessed to lead (for the most part) prosperous and full lives.  The problems that we face, while still problems, are minimal in comparison to many around the world.  We have so much.  Why can’t we remember help those with less?

     It only takes a segment on the news, a movie, a Facebook post, for us to be sent into guilt and self-doubt about what we’re doing to help others.  Take for example the refugee crisis, natural disasters, world hunger.  We feel for those people, but what do we do about it?  Nothing.

We tend to hoard our blessings for ourselves.  We spend our money on nice vacations, retail therapy, the occasional Starbucks, but how much do we actually spend on people that need it?  What if instead of buying another pair of shoes to add to your twenty-plus pairs in the closet, you bought shoes for a child that doesn’t have any?

     Maybe you are thinking, yes I want to help, but it’s just so hard to find an opportunity to help others.  I just don’t know how to help the refugees, what could I even do?  How could I help a child all the way across the world?  It’s just so hard.  No, it’s really not.  People need our help everywhere.  If we spent the amount of time we normally spend on social media in one day just researching ways that we could help, we could come up with a million and one answers. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m just as guilty of this as the next person and perhaps even more so, but that’s not okay.  I am no longer going to be okay with standing here with a closed fist around all that I have to give, not when there’s a big world to make a difference in.  We need change, but we don’t just need to talk about it, we need to act.

     I want to challenge you to do something today to give to others.  It doesn’t have to be monumental, just a step in the right direction.  Giving becomes a lifestyle the more that you do it.  You may be surprised to find that you are receiving more than giving.  You will be receiving so much satisfaction, happiness, and joy; things that cannot be bought.  So, in conclusion, do good.  In all places.  At all times.  In any way possible.  Do good.