“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” — James 1:27
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Many athletes have an opportunity to visit with the community and witness places like a children’s hospital, where patients are unable to participate in organized sports or other recreational fun. Players can gain fresh perspective from visiting others in challenging and less fortunate situations. This can change not just their attitudes, but their lives. They may even share the lessons they’ve learned with their children, and impact their lives as well.
Consider the following story: Mandy and Michael seemed to always be asking their mother for treats and presents every week, even if it wasn’t close to their birthday or a holiday. One night after the children went to bed, their parents talked about a game plan to help the kids learn to be thankful. The father had a friend who ran a turkey farm about 40 miles from where they lived, and arranged for the kids to work on the farm on a Saturday. They figured if Mandy and Michael could see what it takes to raise a turkey from a baby to one ready to eat, maybe they’d better appreciate what they enjoyed on Thanksgiving Day.
On most Saturdays, Mandy and Michael slept late since they didn’t have to go to school. But this particular Saturday they heard the alarm ringing at 6 a.m. and both of them moaned and reluctantly got up, got dressed and ate some cereal. By 7 a.m. the family was on the road to the turkey farm. When they got there, they fed the turkeys, gave them fresh water, cleaned out their pens and were taught how to check to see if any turkeys were sick and might need to be looked at by a veterinarian. After several hours, Mandy and Michael were very tired but they learned a lot and saw it wasn’t easy to get a turkey to the grocery store. On the way home, the family talked about what they learned and how the Bible teaches that eating is a reward for working.
Even though God pours out blessings on us, He wants us to be willing to put forth effort and appreciate our opportunities. In Proverbs, a bustling ant bed is a picture of how God likes for us to be, as opposed to lazy and entitled. “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest” (Proverbs 6:6-8).
In most cases, Mandy and Michael weren’t any different from other kids who want to play and have fun, but we all need to learn to be less selfish and more grateful to God for faith, food, family, friends and everything we enjoy. After this family learned so much on the turkey farm, they planned the next month to go see someone in a nursing home, and then another time to brighten the day of some children who live without their parents. The kids ended up learning that God blesses us in order to be a blessing.
That’s what the Bible instructs: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27). It is easy to be “polluted” by society’s ideas of happiness and success, which essentially encourage more of self, wealth, getting what you want, coveting what others have, entitlement and division. Getting fresh, Godly perspective and keeping it on the forefront allows us to not only have a heart of gratitude, but also be a blessing to others as we see and meet their needs.
— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia
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