03/05/2008: "Lending A Helping Hand"
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
The LORD will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail."
- Isaiah 58:10-11.
I was thinking about volunteering today. I used to do a lot of volunteering when at school by either working at my school's library or even the local community library as well as tutoring students before or after school. I remember my last year of middle school, I signed up for a summer program in which middle school students created a garden. That was a great experience in itself with the friends I made that year and being allowed to work with my hands in a physical sense to shape the earth.
There is something so great about lending a helping hand to others. In recognizing another's needs above your own, you "satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday." You bring peace and solutions to that person who was troubled, no matter how small or how temporary you feel that bit of help may last. I do believe that volunteering is an enriching experience in which everyone should try at least once or twice while youth still permits it. Having said that, I haven't volunteered in a long time. Probably since 2004. It's not because I don't have time but because I haven't made the time to do so.
I think that there are a lot of people who mismanage their time, including myself. Some people put off taking the garbage while others put off going to church. Not enough time in the day or any day out of the 168 hours a week to make time for anything undesirable. With my own time, I've found that I can do both bad and good with it. There were certain times in my life where I was grateful to rest and there were times in which I felt alone and useless. Because of all this free time, I was allowed to entertain dark thoughts, evil thoughts. Free time that used to be volunteer time became selfish time. Pity party time- time that could have seriously done some damage if those thoughts had evolved.
"Your light shall dawn in the darkness and your darkness shall be as the noonday," Isaiah 58 says. By using your time to help others, you not only get to show your faith through works but you also heal your life of darkness. Even on your dark days, the sun will still be at its highest and brightest. The benefits of helping others is also bringing vitality to your mind, body, and soul. By volunteering, you can bring joy and peace to others' lives while helping renew your own.