There are so many people struggling in the world and sometimes when I write here about these things I think about how a lot of these choices I make about food, decluttering because I have too much stuff, being eco friendly etc etc... is not just first world problems but dare I say it, middle class problems.
To live simply so that others can simply live.
I just have it on my heart to say that although there is nothing wrong with these things that I write about here on my blog, they are not what our whole focus in life should be.
Yes for me it is important what we eat and we love to eat healthy and I love to grow vegetables and keep chickens. I also love to bake and be creative and I love to share that. Decluttering and learning to live with less is a really great thing to do because it takes our focus off material things. Of course being more eco friendly is also important as it is better for our health, the planet and can save us money sometimes.
However, people are more important and there are so many people struggling. Globally and in our own country.
My husband and I have some charities and ministries that we support because they are close to our hearts. They are all people focused.
"Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." 1 John 3:18
Just recently we were made aware of how many families are struggling here in NZ trying to keep warm through the winter and feed their families. Some families only having about $50 a week to buy groceries. That fact alone really stopped me. Reading this in a letter that we received was not new to us, we are well aware that people are struggling and we regularly support food related charities. But as I thought about this some more, I thought how on earth would I feed my family of three hungry teenage boys on $50 a week? I shared this with my boys as they were getting some peanut butter toast for supper tonight and their faces dropped. Some of the bread was homemade, yes I could do that for a few cents but the peanut butter is a more expensive brand. We take a lot of things for granted.
Jesus commands us in the bible to take care of the poor, widows and orphans. To feed and take care of others.
"For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink." Matthew 25:36
I guess the reason I write this here today is because I don't want my blog to just be about lifestyle stuff that is not attainable or realistic for a lot of people. I share these things to encourage people to live a more simple and less materialistic life, to get back to basics which is also really important but with these things have a goal or a focus that comes out of it so we are not just doing these things because they make us feel good or give us a pretty minimalist house. We do these things so we have more time for our families. More to share, maybe vegetables from the garden or baking a cake for a neighbour. Sacrificing something in our grocery shop so we can put a couple of things in the food bank or maybe having a rice and beans meal for dinner so there is extra allowance to give to someone else.
I realise those suggestions may also be unattainable for a lot of people but there is always something we can give or do for someone else. Giving time and love is the biggest thing a lot of people need and we can all do that in some way.
So, let's have a week where we look for the open doors from God. Who can I bless in some way? It might not be directly. It might be a charitable donation. It all counts. If it is given with our hearts seeking to serve God he will use it in mighty ways to help and bless someone.
I hope you can hear my heart here, it is something that I am always mindful of. I am also very mindful that I don't want my boys thinking that our neighbourhood is what the world looks like. We have always been intentional that they know that families in NZ struggle. We explain things to them. We get them involved with food parcels at Christmas, we have done a lot of baking and donations to the Mens Homeless Shelter in the past which was out of their comfort zone but was a good way to show them how other people unfortunately live. They have learnt through having sponsor children what third world poverty looks like. It is important for them to know so that when they are older they will understand the importance of giving and helping others and filling the scripture of feeding and taking care of the poor.
So, as we go about our week, cooking & baking, cleaning and putting our houses in order or doing some gardening ( if it's not bucketing down with rain! ), let's remember to think about others and how we can be a blessing.
I hope you all have a blessed and safe week, thank you for visiting here.
Love Fiona
"It is more blessed to give than to receive" Acts 20:35
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