Get Off Your High Horse

     Just wanted to write about an experience I had at a local mission today, which will remain nameless. It was just really frustrating to me even though I know they were really there with good intentions, but sometimes people don't know how they can make others feel. Now, this local mission does a lot for the community. One of the major things that they do is that they serve hot lunches throughout the week and it is really appreciated by those who come in to eat. Today on Christmas they were having a church ceremony with Communion and then serving breakfast and giving out gifts and sack lunches.
     I went in to hear the service and to volunteer to help with serving and clean up or anything I could do. When I arrived there were a few people there so me and my family sat at a bench in the back so I could be closer to the kitchen when it was time to help. Then as other people arrived it was clear who were the "less fortunate" and who were "helping". As people were getting seated the other volunteers didn't even come near the sitting area where they were holding the service. The area where the "needy" were sitting. I am a very sensitive person I guess because this to me was just not cool. There was a group that was there and they went straight into the kitchen area, even though there was nothing to do, and because they didn't recognize me when I went into the kitchen to see if they needed help I was given a very cold welcoming and I was just like OK, if I was one of the people that was here and in need, is this the way that you would treat me?

Homeless mother and child in Bangkok

    It made me think back to the way a lot of people act when they are around those that they consider to be worse off then them. Do you look down upon them? The only reason that you should be looking down on them is so you can lift them up. As I sat through the service I just watched as others came in with their nice leather jackets, in their big SUVs, as they stood amongst the group of people that they came with and didn't really mingle in with the "regulars". It just  made me sit back think and hope that this is not the way that I act when I am around someone that may not be as financially secure as me. I couldn't possibly because I know that I am but a incident away from being homeless myself. I mean just being there today made me very uncomfortable. It seems like they were there just to say, "Hey I helped to feed the homeless on Christmas, aren't I a great person!"  And to tell the truth most volunteers I see come seem to be just there to say they helped feed the homeless, they never come before time to help fix the food or stay afterwards to help clean up. I mean please forgive me if I'm wrong, but you shouldn't do things to get the glory, you should do it so that God gets the glory.
     I just had to vent this because it bothered me all day that they were acting this way so I could just imagine how the other people felt. As a matter fact I know how they felt. There was an occasion when I was at a local womens shelter and they had some guest to come by and they came in to take a tour of the shelter and the people just seem like they came to observe us like we were some puppies in a dog pound. It was very belittling. I may have been in a bad situation at the time, but I'm still a human being, just like you. So that is why I say, "PEOPLE, GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE!!" You are not better than someone because you have more material objects then they do. When I seen this picture above it made me wanna cry because that could be me and my children on the streets with no place to go. And we have the nerve to complain about Christmas presents that we don't even deserve and there are people that can't even feed their kids on Christmas day or any other day!!! Come on people!!!!!!!!!! I get angry about his because it doesn't seem fair that their are families with 4 million dollar homes and then their are families that can't even afford a shack.
     Well, I have to bring this blog entry to a close and go to bed, but I hope that you guys understand where I am coming from and would like to make a change with me. Instead of turning your nose up at a person thats less fortunate, how about lending them a helping hand or giving them words of encouragement. I know we are not always able to give money or possession, but just treating them like a normal person and not a lower form of life is enough to probably bring a smile to their face. If you would like prayer or baptism please email me maineak83@yahoo.com, or if you are in the Longview, TX area and would like to learn more about our church. I also have info about my church on my previous blog entry. God Bless you!!!!!!!!!!!!