Filling the Need When We See It

As a parent, I feel like half of my day is spent picking up "stuff" behind my kids. They have their chores. They have to clean up after themselves, but that doesn't get everything. My son, Jack, and my daughter, Ellie, actually do a really good job of cleaning up after themselves, but I always find a stray sock lying on the floor, or a piece of a pop tart wrapper lying under the dinner table, or even worse, my foot finds that stray lego. Most times, I will tell the kids to come get whatever it is they've left lying on the floor and they'll put it up. In the case of the Lego, I have to regain my composure, remember that I'm a Christian, and then ask them to put it away. The only time I get really upset is when they see something on the floor and just walk right by. I then instruct them, "When you see something you should clean up, pick it up. Don't just walk by and leave it there. No one else should be doing your work for you." It's amazing how much we sound like our parents when we speak to our children.

Do you ever wonder if God is trying to say the same thing to us? We hear of someone who's struggling to pay the bills, and we could help them, but we just turn a blind eye. We know the elderly woman down the street can't mow or take care of the outside of her house, but we assume someone else will do it. We hear that the children's ministry in the church is growing like wildfire, but we don't have enough volunteers to meet the growing need. Do we step up and volunteer, or do we just pretend we don't know?

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
James 2:15–16

This week, we’ve been talking about stewardship. We've talked about it from the standpoint of servanthood. We've talked about being faithful in giving to the Lord even when times are rough. Today, we're talking about filling needs when the opportunity arises. The United States is a culture of go, go, go. There's little time to mess around. You have places to be, and things to do, and that mindset can give us tunnel vision. We are so focused on the task ahead that, many times, we miss the opportunity to meet the needs of those around us. If we took the next ten minutes and wrote down how we could be helping others this week, it wouldn't take long to fill a page with all the ways we could be giving of ourselves. 

We are talking about stewardship, though. I need to be a good steward of my time when it comes to my employment, my family, and my home. At work, I'm getting paid to do a job, and I can't just leave work to go mow someone's yard. I can't constantly abandon my family so I can make other people's lives better. My house needs a lot of work. I can't just let the sink continue to be plugged or not clean out the gutters. Those things are all true, but we live in a very unique time. According to a RAND Corporation study, "Americans average more than 5 hours of free time each day, with men generally having a bit more free time than women.” That’s a bit of an eye-opener!

So what are we doing with our time? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in a 2022 study, People spend 4.5 hours a weekday working, 4.6 hours in leisure and sports, 1.7 hours doing household activities, and 1.2 hours eating and drinking. During the weekend, they spend 1.1 hours working, 6.6 hours in leisure and sports, 2.3 hours doing household activities, and eating 1.4 hours. From those statistics, it seems like we spend a lot of time being entertained. It’s easy to miss out on opportunities to fill needs when we’re so distracted by meaningless things.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 5:15–17

When my kids walk by that sock lying on the floor they are so focused on where they are going that they don’t see what’s right in front of them. As a result, that sock is left unattended. We all know what happens when we continue to let that go on. One sock turns into 2, then a bunch of toys, then clothes everywhere, and within a few days, you have a complete mess in your house. When we see a need and don’t fill it, we are opening the door to a complete mess. It’s so easy to assume that someone else will do something, but if all of us are thinking like that, nothing gets done. Imagine a world where everyone DOES assume that everyone else will take care of things. It wouldn’t be long before it’s complete anarchy.

The Church should be different, though. We should be good stewards of our resources in order to be available when a need presents itself. The prophet Isaiah lived in a time when depravity ruled the day. People were perverse, they called evil good and good evil. They were willing to free guilty men for a payday. They would do evil and then worship God as though they had done nothing wrong. Does this sound familiar? So when God called for someone to step up, what did Isaiah say?

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
 Isaiah 6:8

Instead of walking by and ignoring a problem, or assuming it will be taken care of, we need to have an Isaiah mindset. “Here I am! Send me!” Should be our calling card. Our attitude should be one that DESIRES the opportunity to use what God has blessed us with to bless others and God. When we see an opportunity we should take it! I’ll even take it a step further. We should actively be looking. 

I was cleaning out my wife’s car the other day, and our daughter had put an unfinished bottle of chocolate milk inside the pocket on the door by her booster seat. I have no idea how long that had been there, but if I wasn’t actively cleaning the vehicle, who knows how long that would’ve been there. We won’t always just walk up on opportunities. Many times, we need to be searching them out. Look for places to fill needs. Ask someone what’s out there. We should always be willing to be good stewards of our blessings when the moment arrives, but we should also be diligent in looking for ways that God can use our resources.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:9–10

God is good. God is generous. God is love. As God’s people, let’s be good, generous, loving people who are longing to do his work whenever the opportunity arises. It’s amazing how much we sound like God when we do.