12 Days of Christmas 2017 - Day 3: Jesus Came for the "Least of These"

11:57 PM Kaitlyn 0 Comments

Tonight my family volunteered at our church's annual ministry, Toys For Joy. I gotta be honest with you: at first I was not thrilled about not getting to go home after being out of the house since 8:40 am. Especially when said getting out of the house included a secret melt down in a bathroom, graham cracker house building, eating fast food I did not want to eat, and a fun, but also tiring towards the end, party with friends. I've been so tired lately that the least I wanted to do was go straight to some school far away and sort clothes or something. We drove to the school, and it was sunset already, which meant it was dark and chilly and windy. Of course today I decided to wear leggings and the only warmish clothing I had besides that was a thin sweatshirt. Of course I didn't wear socks today of all days (yes, I am one of those people in the minority who avoids wearing socks with shoes when possible). While we walked to the volunteer area, I remember thinking things like,

Yeah...not exactly what someone serving for under-privileged kids should be thinking about. My thoughts were as negative as the space in the sky. As the night progressed, things got better. For the first hour or so, all I did was tie pairs of balloons together. My fingers were getting stiff and felt frozen (yes, a Cali girl really can exaggerate lol), my nose was starting to run, and goosebumps covered my entire body. 

But you know what? Something changed while I went through tying some 50+ balloons together. I thought of the kids. I thought of how much they would be blessed by this. I thought of some of the families who lost their homes due to the Lilac Fire. And I thought about just how stupid I was for complaining.

I'm so blessed to have a family who cares for me, not having to worry about what we're eating each night, and a life of plenty. God has blessed me in so many ways, and what did I do today but complain about the cold?! It wasn't even cold - probably 50s minimum, more likely 60s. It makes me feel so ridiculous that I was so selfish.

To all of you who ever feel discontent - shift your focus and remember "the least of these." Remember that Jesus came for them and that, if God incarnate can care for the needy, so can we. If holy Jesus served the poor without getting much in return besides thanks, how much more should we follow His example??

I'm really sorry I keep posting so late - I got home from TFJ, got ready for bed and completely forgot until now. I'll try to post some photos soon, but for now, I just want to encourage you to really reach out to the needy and help with whatever you can. Remember that Jesus came for the least of these.