You Don't Know How To Live If You Don't Know How To Give

"We rise by lifting others" - Robert Ingersoll

I read that quote when I was in 7th grade and it has really stuck with me ever since then. I often found myself thinking about that quote and truly what it meant. I sometimes would find myself visualizing that quote and picturing a person physically lifting another person. The size, the weight, the gender, it all didn't matter in my eyes. It was the act of lifting someone up in a positive way - to bring someone up together instead of falling as individuals.

I guess it wasn't until I was in middle school until I found that there was so many people that were less fortunate than some of my friends and I. But being 13 yrs old, I really had no clue how to help someone less fortunate than me or any clue of where to start. Then life would start to go faster and faster, and I would be so caught up in whatever I was doing that I would forget about those people.

I attended youth group when I was in Jr. High School - it was in the middle of the week and I used to go when I didn't have softball practice. Like I have stated in my earlier blog posts, I figured I had a rocky relationship with God. I really didn't know where I stood with him through a lot of my young life. I thought by attending youth group it would strengthen that relationship between us and it did for the most part. But there was still something within me that needed more change and ultimately more faith.

Then something happened.

One of my youth group counselors Siobhan Roy lost her brother Cody in a tragic car accident in high school. But you would of never known it from her graceful demeanor. Siobhan was one of the most generous, sweet, and caring girls I had ever met in my life. She genuinely cared about all our problems, wishes and goals like they were her own. But the most powerful thing I took from her was her individed trust in the Lord. I mean how could someone who has had such a terrible life-changing event happen in her life continue to believe and have so much hope in such a dark place. I never told her this but her strength gave me strength.

If it wasn't for someone like Siobhan, who volunteered her time to make a difference in someone else's life than I don't know where my faith would of been at 13 years old. It taught me a lot about being strong when everything is going wrong. From then on out, I tried my best to help as many people in my path as I could. I didn't have millions of dollars to donate to some cause but I had hope and more importantly I had faith. I had faith and hope in my heart that no matter what direction life took me in - I was going to be okay. If i continued to put myself out there for others when they needed me - that I was doing the right thing for somebody.

Like I said, I wasn't donating millions and millions of dollars. Money makes a difference in people's lives without a doubt. But sometimes someone generously caring about you makes more of a difference than money can ever buy.

In the world we live in today people are very quick to judge and very quick to turn up their nose when something isn't quite the way they think it should be. Everybody lives very busy lives, and we get very consumed with what only we are doing. We were put on this earth to come together and do great things TOGETHER. We were put on this earth to bring each other up not break each other down.

The next time you have the opportunity to do something small or big for someone else, jump at it. It is what He wants for all of us.