11/09/2024
LONG POST WARNING.
I’d like to make a suggestion. And this is hard for me because it goes against the person I am. You’ll see what I mean.
We live in a world consumed with social media “influencers” that base there whole platform on showing off what they do for other people. Showing off giving people money, or buying them things. And many of those creators are staging the whole thing. And I’m sure there are some that are real. But either way they are making a killing doing it.
I don’t believe in this. The Bible says “when you give alms, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does”.
Anyway, people are always bashing the creators that do that. And I agree, they shouldn’t be doing it. But you know what? People are also bashing folks who are helping others and not showing it off. Complaining about them not doing enough, or sometimes even saying they don’t help people in need. I mean it’s a catch 22. If you help people and show off, you’re condemned. If you help people secretly, you’re condemned cuz no one knows you’re helping.
This is the hard part for me. I’m not a successful man, a rich man, nor is my family wealthy. We’re very blessed and content, but not well off by any means. On top of that, I make a lot of mistakes and I fall short often, but one thing that’s certain is I work extremely hard in the heat, seven days a week. And I wouldn’t have to work near as much if it were just about my wife and our boy. But it’s not. I do what I do, so that every time an addict asks me for ANY KIND OF HELP, I can do it.
I woke up this morning to a text message that was very critical towards me because I was late paying a bill last week for our sober house and the men had to do without a luxury for a few hours. THIS HURTS.
I’m not in my sober living house enough. I don’t mentor near enough. And there’s not near enough structure. I’m man enough to admit those things. But I’m also a man that would be in that house 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, doing those things if I could afford to do so. Honestly I feel called to minister that way full time.
Yeah it was my fault. But I assure you it wasn’t from not caring or not trying. My suggestion is this, and hopefully it prevents someone else from having to feel like I felt this morning. If you don’t know how much someone loves others, and how much they care. And if you don’t know how hard they work to try to help others. Or you don’t know how many tears they cry when they fail to help enough. Or you don’t know how many 20 dollar bills they hand out, or how many packs of ci******es they buy. Or how many burgers or pizzas they pay for. Or how much gas they pay for, in a vehicle they let people use. Or how many times they let a struggling addict slide on this week’s rent, or anything else they do to help others. Or how much they have had stolen from them (including a vehicle) by the very people they’re trying to help. Maybe it would be better to just assume the best and encourage them, than be mean and critical when they fall short.
This is why other recovery houses don’t allow people to stay for free as long as they need to like I do. This is why other places give two weeks to start paying or they put folks out.
AND TO THINK THAT I’M TRYING MY HARDEST TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE I CAN PROVIDE COMPLETELY FREE SOBER LIVING HOUSING FOR EVERYONE IN IT, SO THEY CAN FOCUS ON RECOVERY, SAVE ALL THEIR EARNINGS, AND GET BACK ON THEIR FEET SOONER. AND TO BE ABLE TO BE IN THE HOUSE MENTORING DAILY.
And I’m openly letting everyone know that the second that God send us a generous enough donor to cover all our expenses, I WILL IMMEDIATELY STOP WORKING AND START MINISTERING TO THE ADDICTED FULL TIME. AND IF THAT TIME COMES, YOU CAN HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE TO THIS.
