It’s time for school to start again. No more time for sleeping in and having all day to procrastinate on projects. We will begin to focus much of our minds on getting supplies, finishing up our summer work, and getting new clothes (which really isn’t bad…). We’ll be overtaken with getting everything ready, eventually starting school, and doing the homework from the early “starting” days of school that our teachers will probably give to us.
Let’s not forget, though, that by finding the time to help others, we uplift our spirits, and theirs, which is especially important amid the temptation and sin in the world today.
Since school is getting ready to start, I’ve decided to offer a way that we can help other kids who might not be as fortunate as some of us by giving them school supplies. You don’t even need to track down someone who you think needs the help because you can simply pick up the supply list from a school.
I went to the Dollar General store and got a girl’s backpack (they only had girls’, no neutral), thirty eraser caps, twelve colored pencils, six mechanical pencils, a portable pencil sharpener, two folders, and glue. The most expensive thing I bought was the backpack. I spent about $9 total on this project. That’s pretty good, especially considering how much we tend to spend on our own school supplies. I also looked around my house for things that I knew I would never use. For example, unsharpened wooden pencils. If you have any loose-leaf paper at home, you can take that too. I took the supplies to the local primary school and said that I’d like to donate the backpack and everything in it to the school to be given to a child who needed it. You might want to call a school in your area and ask them if they accept donations.
Don’t be discouraged if you can’t drive yet, or feel like you’re too busy. If you can’t drive yet, just ask your parent(s) to take you, and if you feel like you’re too busy, wait until the weekend, buy the supplies, and take your donations to school on Monday. Most of us feel too busy to help, but we still need to consider others and make time for them, or Satan will be able to entice us to always use the “too busy” excuse.
According to Matthew 6:3-4, we are commanded to give to the poor, without announcing to everyone what we are doing. “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” We can help others more than we know. We need to consider others to be as important as ourselves. God has given us time, and we need to give some of that back to Him, and use that time to show others who He is.
By Alyssa Sturgill
What a great idea!!! This would even be a great project for a youth group, or a group of girls, to do together. Many of us are blessed with so much, and I love that your column gives us realistic and helpful ways we can give some of what we have back to others. What a beautiful way to display Christ’s love!