Seasonal Frustration

Generally, I love the Advent Season. The smells, the looks, even the work sometimes. It's a season of giving and receiving. Sadly, it's become more about some expectation of "giving" that is giving ME heartburn. Most everyone that knows Henry and I know that we are pretty generous in our giving. Past experience has shown that you can't "out give" God. When there is a genuine need we are often among the first writing a check. But, lately it seems there are more "hands out" than "hands writing checks". Offerings are down. (I say "offerings" because few actually tithe.) Charities are having to tighten the belt a bit, some are even ready to shut their doors because giving is down so much. At the same time, regardless of what you read, the real estate market is in the toilet, food prices are rising, taxes are going to go up rapidly (big surprise there) ~ I could go on and on. BUT, in the same vein, it seems that giving of TIME is also down. No one seems to "notice" what needs to be done anymore. Several weeks ago someone came back to the church about an hour after services and they found ~ lights on in the kitchen, fellowship hall and hallway; kitchen door open, side door unlocked, front door unlocked. "Not my job." Serve on the Board? "No, I don't have time." Help with a project? "I wish I could but I don't have time." Help clean up the church yard? " wish I could, but I don't have time." Pay a visit to the sick? "I wish I could....." And even if they "say" they will... well... "sorry I'm late" or "sorry I forgot". No regard for the person on the other side. Some things just have to be done by some body. Body... human. Some human has to do the dirty work or the "not so" dirty work. Stuff just needs to be done. But, I'm not done. Daily phone calls ~ "Do you all help with electric bills? My electric gets turned off today at 2:00 p.m. Can you help?" "Do you all help with fuel bills? I have no heat. Can you help?" "Do you all help with Christmas gifts? I have a child with no gifts." "Can you take me to the doctor and get my medicine for me?" All people we don't know or have helped many times. None have applied for fuel assistance, Salvation Army or any of the other organizations set up to help with these issues. All run to the local ER for colds, when Walmart in Waynesboro has a $30 clinic. All have cell phones, cable TV and internet service. Note, I am NOT speaking of anyone who has any connection to us, nor do they want any connection with us. All of them have randomly called us in the phone book or the electric company has given them our name as "someone who might help". Top that off with hearing just last week of someone who said, "I'm going to Toys for Tots for my kids Christmas toys." When it was expressed that T4T was for 'disadvantaged children' they responded with "Well, it's free, so why shouldn't my kids get some of that free stuff." That's the people "WE" have become. Not a "pay as you go" society, but a "take as you can" society. Sense my frustration? Hubby and I were talking about how we "could" cut back if we "had to". Certainly we could save $300 or more each month if we ditched the TV, cell phones and internet service. $300 a MONTH! We could save more if I cooked more at home and used fewer convenience foods. We already keep our thermostats at 68 in the winter and I don't use a dryer to dry the clothes very often. Nor do I buy a whole lot of "new" clothes. An occasional sweater or jacket, but most purchases are from Goodwill or the Salvation Army. I do indulge in rubber stamping pretty heavily which could save...um.... between $25 and $75 a month (depending on the month). It would also help if we could sell that house. But, yet we still manage to tithe and give regularly to a variety of needful organizations. God has blessed us enormously! We've been blessed to loan money without a dime of repayment. We've bought little niceties for others that have helped from time to time. We give a TON of time that never gets recorded or even known about. And we consider ourselves "pretty normal". But the longer I live the more I know that we live in a crazy world. People are giving less and less and thinking about others less and less unless it's thinking about how they can take from them. We sit back and wonder how we raised 4 children on $15,000.00 a year. I wonder how I took care of one on $120. a week when rent was $175 a month. Then we realize we didn't have cell phones, internet or TV. We didn't eat out and I wasn't on $200 worth of meds every month. Justin still complains about eating spaghetti every week along with beef hash after having roast beef. We did it because we HAD to. We HAD to and I don't regret one, single day of it. Those years are remembered pretty fondly. We didn't go without. Not really. Today... very few HAVE to. We just don't want to. Heaven help us if we all end up having to. Merry Christmas....