I don't want to be a charity case

Does anyone want to just get stuff from other people? Are we made to just get stuff from other people? Is it wrong to be a "charity case?" Some people won't accept help from other people because they won't accept "charity."

Imagine with me a life lived without receiving charity. You wake up in the morning and take your first breath. Oh, rats, charity received. Does God ever have to give us another breath? Did he make our bodies to "just run on their own?" No, God upholds every second the body of the atheist and the Christian, the Buddhist and the Muslim. He is merciful to all and gives all life its breath. He does not have to, but in His love He does, and wants all people to find Him.

After the first breath, you get out of bed and go into the bathroom and take a bathroom break. Ah, charity received again. A healthy working body whose kidneys and parts hold together to allow you to walk and function normally is a great blessing. To think otherwise is arrogance. God made our bodies, He makes them function now. His love is demonstrated as we enjoy good health. I have had my intestines not work, and had operations on my midsection where it took time to walk and eat and go to the bathroom again. I appreciate every sound step and normal functioning day. Vertigo and pain are not fun to deal with.

Okay, normal stuff. After breakfast you get dressed and go to your job. Charity. God gives us the mind and ability to work and make an income. Read Solomon's thoughts on this. He provides so we can be clothed. All this is from Him. If we think otherwise we are confused about how life works. He made our minds and can take them away. He made us so we can communicate, and can take that away. Look at the myriad of diseases around us that affect mind, body, and emotions, and then tell me all this you did on your own to be strong and healthy and well off. No you didn't. God gave it to you.

After work you go home and see your kids and wife. Once again, charity. Children are a gift from God. The word charity comes from the root charis which means gift, as in charismatic.

Hopefully by now you get the point: our whole life and existence is a gift from God. So receiving more help for something is simply part of the experience of life and nothing different from taking a breath. And to refuse that help is to slap a loving Father's hand when He wants to help.

Now certainly, people take advantage of this and come to be lazy and look to others to work when they should, or to do the things they should be doing. This is abuse of charity. This is laziness and rightfully the Bible says that "if a man will not work, he will not eat." That will get you off your lazy butt quick. Or it should. Hunger can be quite motivating. So sometimes there is a decision to be made about whether or not we have done what we could to provide, but the reality is this universe is a place where decay occurs in money, as well as bones and cars. Things don't always go as planned or as we would like. We make mistakes, we overspend, etc. I think this is why the Israelites had in place the year of Jubilee and forgiving of debts every so many years. We need this to keep functioning in healthy pattern. So now it means we must plan much better since our way of life knows no jubilee year or forgiving of debts (I suppose bankruptcy is one form of this). I suppose if we have been lazy and want to change or others just want to provide our way when we could be doing more or our part, then it makes sense to "not be a charity case." Or perhaps we have been foolish and need to change our ways and not just get bailed out again, and as a form of discipline for ourselves we refuse help, that can make sense. But overall, we are a charity case, and need to give and receive charity from each other.

The early Christians example of not having too much and not having too little that Paul discusses in Corinthians is a good example of practicing charity in real life. And ideal. If I have a lot extra and can help you pay bills, then great. Then maybe sometime when you have extra you can help me pay my bills. "Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: 'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.'" I am afraid this type of really helping each other is VERY rare in America where everyone "makes their own way." We don't know each others real needs, and expect each other to take care of our own situation without help. For the most part. And this is wrong. The problem is that we are so wealthy here, we have lost the ability to feel concern and care over real needs people have and probably don't even see them as needs any more; we have lost our way. So we don't mind seeing friends go into debt, or take out loans that will cost them a lot extra, or work a third extra job to pay their bills while we put in a new pool, or build a bigger barn or buy a newer car or buy a season football pass. It's just the way things are done, and in my opinion it can be callous and uncaring. We have to find a way to connect better with those around us, especially if we are a believer in Jesus. I know I need to change in this way. With God's help, yes. Oh yeah, His charity. Yes, I need His grace and mercy to become a giver like this. God, make it so.