We have a friend named Michael. We met him about 2 years ago - he was part of a crew that was painting the house we live in. A few months after the work was done, Michael came back. He was looking for work, unable to get a stable job because he does not have an ID (a major problem in SA, and not all that uncommon). He didn't want money, he was willing to work for it. So, he washed our car. He came back about 2 weeks later, our car was still clean, but we gave him some food and clothes. After a few more visits, we worked out that he would come once a month and wash our car. He did that for a while, and I got to know him in the process - where he was from, where he lives now, about his family. Then, he stopped coming.
I actually thought he must have died. But, about 8 months later, he showed up again. He had been in jail that whole time for violating his parole - he was supposed to have a job. Of course, he can't get a job without an ID... So, Michael is back. He came a few days ago and asked to wash our car. While he was working, we made him tea and toast. As we were talking, he asked if we had any extra clothes that he could give to his son Shawn. Shawn is 6 - the same age as Iain. Melissa went inside and asked Iain if he could go through his clothes and find some that he could give to Shawn. Iain ended up giving Michael 2 bags of clothes for his son.
A day or two later as we were driving to school, I was asking Iain about it - "Iain, why did you give all those clothes to Shawn?" I wanted to see how he would explain his motivations and actions. Iain replied, "I gave some of my clothes to Shawn because I have lots and he doesn't have that much." Simple. Kids get it more than us sometimes.
I wonder how many weeks in a row we could just give clothes away before we would really notice a difference in our wardrobe?
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When I look at my kids' rooms, I could also add toys to that question. I wonder how much happier we would be to give some of our stuff away and have less clutter in our lives, while at the same time helping someone in need?
true. it really is a trap - the more you have, the more you need. i think that's part of what motivates me on the personal side - to un-trap myself by giving away.
What if we helped our kids develop more healthy habits now, that they don't have to learn to undo? a few years ago at Christmas, we had our kids give some of their things away to kids they know who don't have as many toys. we didn't even have to pull out all the Bible verses of why they should!
For some reason, most people, even if they aren't all that greedy or materialistic, encourage their kids to be.
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