After my two recent posts, I thought I'd share some of the relatively easy ways we can make a difference in the world. I'm not saying here that easy differences are great, or that we shouldn't be making hard differences, but it is better to do something than to do nothing.
1. PRAY. The "easiest" and yet the most neglected. Even if you can help in no other way you can take the issue to God, and He will answer!
2. Share the Gospel. This is Jesus' command, and it makes a difference in so many ways. First of all, you are offering someone eternal life! As if that isn't going to make a difference! Secondly, that person, should they accept Christ, is now a fellow labourer in the Kingdom of God. You have just doubled the potential difference you can make!
These two are both free, easy, and not necessarily time-consuming. Perhaps that is why we don't do them. They also show that the work is not ours, it is God's. Another reason why we don't do them, I suspect.
3. Declutter your life (and closet). It amazes me how many people have clothes that do not fit them, books they never intend to read, DVDs they watched once and didn't like, and other bits and pieces that are collecting dust. GO THROUGH YOUR STUFF AND GET RID OF SOME OF IT! Not only is it easier not having 50 million things you don't need (because you can find the things you do need), but by donating them to the Salvation Army, or Red Cross, etc, you are making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than yourself.
Again, that one is free (and can actually save you money, especially if you are paying for storage), and doesn't take that long.
4. Sponsor a Child. Yes, I have been known to make fun of people who do this. Sponsoring a child does not make you a great person. It is not expensive, difficult, or time-consuming, and in the West we hardly notice that $43 a month out of what we earn. But it does make a difference in the life of one child. And in spite of my making fun, I do it too.
5. Volunteer your time. There are tons of charities in desperate need of someone who will do some work for them. From op-shops to crisis pregnancy centres to telephone help-lines, there is something out there that you could do. Think about it, and do something.
6. Write a Letter. There are people being persecuted for their faith all over the world. There are others who are being persecuted because of their ethnicity, their relatives, their education, and a whole host of other things. You can write these people letters or petition governments (theirs or yours) in order to get them released. Voice of the Martyrs has a Prisioner Alert, and they even translate letters for you. Amnesty International is another option (with the added bonus that you can send emails - free!) but you need to be wise here - they have campaigns for unbiblical practices.
7. Use Your Talents. Good at crafting? Sell some items and donate to charity. A muso? Hold a benefit concert with some friends. Think about what you are good at and do it for someone else's benefit. Something I do is knit hats using wool I've managed to aquire over the years (presents, buying very cheaply, and once my dad got a box of wool for $5 at an auction) and donate them to the homeless. If you knit, check out Knit 4 Charity to see what you can do to make a difference for others.
8. Give a Gift That Keeps on Giving. This is a great one for the people you want to give small gifts to at Christmas. If you're like me, your Christmas list is about 50 people. Yes, I am serious. Obviously, if I get them all big presents I'll go broke, and if I get them all small presents they mostly won't like them. So I give people chocolates / handmade soap and a present from Gospel for Asia. I know lots of other organisations have similar programs, and most of these run through the year.
9. Click and Play. There are groups that have games that you can play and they donate rice to the hungry, or links that you can click that also donates food. You click, and sponsors donate money / food because you've seen their adds.
10. Donate Money. Yes, it's obvious. Give a charity your hard earned cash. Most charities can distribute things that are needed quite efficiently. My favourites include Take Away Hunger (which provides 100 meals for $6) and Bible League.
"If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?"James 2:16
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