“I don’t want to live in the kind of world where we don’t look out for each other. Not just the people that are close to us, but anybody who needs a helping hand. I can’t change the way anybody else thinks, or what they choose to do, but I can do my bit.”
–Charles de Lint, Canadian author

As I write this, my town is in the midst of its third day of rain–nothing heavy, mind you, but nearly always present, even if just misty and annoying. I catch myself griping. We often don’t appreciate the sunshine until we go through a rainy spell. The sun’s up there somewhere above the clouds, but we can’t see it.

How often do we complain when bad weather interferes with our plans? No pickleball, three days and counting. Egads! Poor me. Or, maybe for you, it’s golf, tennis, a picnic, or some other outdoor activity. And what about the “eau de wet dog” odor in the house? Life can be hard, right?

And then I think of the Caribbean countries of Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti, recently hit with the powerful wind and torrential rain of Hurricane Melissa. Do you think any of the citizens affected by the storm would pity poor, little me? Do you think they’re worried about a golf, tennis, or pickle ball? I suspect they’re more concerned about merely surviving.

We wonder if we’ll see the sun tomorrow. Many of those folks will never see their homes again.

Everything is relative. For most of us living in the United States, our worst day is likely better than the best day of the majority of people in the world. We are a blessed nation–likely something we often take for granted.

But then, it hits closer to home. There are folks in western North Carolina still recovering from the ravages of September 2024’s Hurricane Helene. The devastation was breathtaking, and now some citizens, still homeless, are facing another brutal winter.

With the government shutdown, people in need are doing without their SNAP benefits. While they lack the resources to get much of the food they need, most of us make our routine weekly trip to the grocery store. Thank goodness for food drives, food banks, and other nonprofits, whose mission is to feed the hungry. Right now, they need our support more than ever. Isn’t that the least we can do?

And, speaking of the least, recall Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:31-46, the passage titled, “The Sheep and the Goats,” but what I like to call, “The Parable of the Least of These.” In it, he compels us to care for the downtrodden. It’s the essence of his three years of ministry. As was often the case, his disciples were confused by his message.

But we read it and the message is clear. We’re called to help those worse off than we are. By luck, we were born into a world of plenty. We shouldn’t feel guilty about that, but shouldn’t it motivate us to reach out a helping hand to those in need?

The season of giving thanks is upon us. On Thanksgiving Day, most of us will be in warm homes with tables overflowing with food and football spilling out of the television. That will be the opportune time to thank God for our blessings, and to ask for his guidance in showing us how best to help those who need it the most.

May it be that he will show us how to do “our bit.”