Am I Doing The Right Thing?

Sometimes - maybe every time - I try to help someone, I am always asking myself - and God - whether I am doing the right thing in the particular case I am involved with. Does God ordain this? Is there something I am not seeing. Really, is this a mistake that I am going to pay for?

God is good and He is faithful. He answers you - in ways you may not even understand that it is Him that is responding to you. In this case, it was clearly evident to me that this is the right thing - for now, anyway, nothing on this earth, really, is ever permanent, it is all temporal.

So, in the case of these 2 individuals that are staying in the trailer, I found myself asking the question: Should I have let them come in here? Is this the right thing to do in this particular situation? Is this what God wants?

I received a letter from the organization that I gave money to to help people in Haiti. BTW, in a disaster situation such as theirs, unless authorities specifically say different, money is ALWAYS the best thing to give. You can give food and clothing and all that - if it is requested. There are many situations where material goods are not going to do any good - because those goods may take a long time to get there or may NEVER get there. Money is always good because organizations can, if nothing else - purchase goods from the nearest source to get material items necessary to any given location much faster. I have known this for a long, long time, but the situation in Haiti is evidence of such, at least to some degree.

The letter I received had a little piece of paper with the following scripture written on it:
Isaiah 58:7
They titled it: You Are Not Forgotten!
"Divide your bread with the hungry,
bring the homeless into the house,
when you see the naked cover him,
and do not divert your eyes from your own flesh."

A different version plus the scripture after it reads:
7"Is it not to (A)divide your bread with the hungry
And (B)bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the (C)naked, to cover him;
And not to (D)hide yourself from your own flesh?
8"Then your (E)light will break out like the dawn,
And your (F)recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your (G)righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the (H)LORD will be your rear guard.
9"Then you will (I)call, and the LORD will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am '
If you (J)remove the yoke from your midst,
The (K)pointing of the finger and (L)speaking wickedness,
10And if you (M)give yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your (N)light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.
11"And the (O)LORD will continually guide you,
And (P)satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And (Q)give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a (R)watered garden,
And like a (S)spring of water whose waters do not fail.
12"Those from among you will (T)rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will (U)raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the (V)breach,
The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.

If you want reasons to feed the hungry and in this case, help the homeless, just go to the Word. You will find it over and over and over throughout Scripture. I have given to hungry when I was totally broke - just because of the redundancy of the theme in the Word: God wants those of us that can help the hungry - TO help the hungry. You can choose to believe whatever you wish. I am not your Judge, would never pretend to be. I only speak for myself. I have my own faults and failings, I have my own junk to answer for, I need not look at someone else's dirty laundry.

It never ceases to amaze me how I am always confirmed on such things. That text of scripture was in an envelope asking for more help for Haiti, not for a couple living in a travel trailer in my side yard, yet it spoke volumes to me, simply because it said what it said and came at the EXACT time I was looking for an answer. Contrary to what my ex-wife and many of her friends believe, I am not the godless, soul-less, lost infidel that has been proclaimed many times over. The enemy of my soul is to blame for those accusations - he is the accuser of the brethren as the Scripture states. No, I have the Lord in my thoughts every day - literally every day. I am sometimes feeling very bad about my own state of being, other times rejoicing for the good fortunes of others - always thanking Him for another day of living and breathing air on His creation - the earth and all that that entails.

I need not explain myself to others, I don't feel that at all. In fact, I have no problems telling people that I have otherwise homeless people living on my property. I get some interesting looks and responses. No, this is my blog and this is where I vent, release, speak out and describe my daily life. People will judge me behind my back about doing such - they don't deserve it, why help them - they can help themselves; tell them to go get jobs.

Walk a mile in another man's shoes, that's what I think, that's what I say, or something like it or - something much more blunt. I was speaking my mind as a teen. On the mission field it became more entrenched. Now? Lol.

G'day.

ben