Week 3 to Make This World a Better Place (and more beautiful)

I've been thinking a lot about this week's assignment trying to narrow the options, and I recalled something from my book Simple Things to Make This World a Better Place. A section of the book is filled with many things that other people have done to fulfill that quest, and one was my uncle who was a rural postal carrier in mid-century California.

Uncle Hub (pronounced "Hoob,"short for Hubert) drove miles in the country to make sure that all of his rural patrons received their mail. During much of his route, he encountered land that was void of much beauty − muddy ditches, piled ruble, etc. so he decided to do something about it, not just for himself, but for others too.

My uncle purchased a number of hearty flower seed packets and distributed them from his vehicle, a handful here and a handful there. It wasn't long before he was rewarded with beautiful flowers to grace the long stretches of desolation. And, I'm sure many others appreciated the gesture, but wondered how the sudden growth of beautiful flowers occurred.

Now, I'd like you to think of some unattended areas where you might do something similar. It could be as simple as some bare spots in your own yard or your neighbor's. It could be an empty lot, a pathway or jogging trail, or maybe a stretch of roadway where nothing seems to be growing.

Of course, not all your labor will produce fruit; it certainly didn't for Jesus. But even so, it doesn't mean it's not worthwhile. A flood starts with a drop of rain, and we never know what little act we perform can make a big difference for someone else. So let's try to beautify this world and see what happens.

My past week included giving two packets of Marigold seed to my neighbor who loves to plant flowers. (I received them from one of the organizations to which I donate, and I wanted to pass them on to an individual who would use them.) I also wrote an email praising someone who went out of the way to research an unexplained charge on one of my credit cards.That's just two out of the seven entries in my journal. How did you do with the reuse instead of recycle challenge last week?

Week Two: Make This World a Better Place

Since Easter is fresh in our minds and the spirit of renewal is a welcome feeling with Spring upon us, it is only fitting that this week's assignment should follow Earth Day activities. After all, Genesis 1:28 states: " God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."' (NRSV)
 
We were given the opportunity and the responsibility to not only care for each other, but to care for all things living upon this earth. With that said, I challenge you to think how you might do something out of the ordinary this week in fulfilling that charge. Don't just recycle this week – reuse.  That's not always so easy, is it?

Recycling is definitely preferable to discarding something, but recycling also takes energy to convert the object into something new. Add to that, we consumers lean more toward "throw-away" than "fix." But making this world a better place means changing our mindset, and not adding more to landfills and wastefulness. 

So, this week, there are some options: Find another use for something you might recycle or throw away (I.e. newspaper sleeves as pet pooper-scoopers, plastic bags as small trash can liners, fruit and veggie peelings for composting, etc.); make your own environmentally-friendly cleaning products from household items; or, if you are really having difficulty with this challenge, write a check to an animal preservation group or an organization whose mission is to save the earth.

Last Monday, I promised to weekly give you a sample of what I did the previous week to make this world a better place. My journal entries included sharing an extra package of fill-and-thrill eggs with a neighbor who has young children, making a special meal for a family who just lost a loved one, taking the time to praise s sales person to their manager. 

Now it's your turn. Tell me and others what you did to accomplish this week's assignment. You just might encourage others to do the same!

The First Week (of Making This World a Better Place)

I firmly believe we are on this earth to care for one another. After all, the Bible is full of commandments and directives to love our fellowman. My favorite verse is from Hebrews 10:24, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (NIV) So now you know why I am writing this blog.

Making this world a better place is not only an opportunity, but really something we all should try to do – not just once in a while, but every day of our lives. If you are reading this blog, then I know this is something you understand, and I now challenge you to encourage at least one other person to do likewise. The more of us who commit to making this world a better place, the more impact we will have.

Now, just a few more comments before I tell you this week’s assignment. Some of the “deeds” are simple and may be something you’ve done previously. That’s okay, do them again. Making a difference isn’t something most of us can do with one act. We need to do positive, make-a-difference acts every day, and that is what this blog will help you to eventually do. With each assignment, I am also going to share a few of the things I did during the week so as to set an example. Doing something good isn’t difficult, but purposely doing something every day is…or at least until it becomes part of your life.

The assignment for the first week: This is holy week and many of you will be buying something for Easter. Maybe it’s candy, fill and thrill Easter eggs, a lily, etc. Even if you aren’t buying something for Easter, I’m sure you will buy something else. That may be a coffee at the drive-thru, some groceries, or even toilet paper. Your task is to buy a duplicate of something and give it to someone unexpected.

You can choose your recipient: a stranger, a shut-in, the person behind you in line at the drive-thru, or any neighbor. The idea is to surprise someone else with a kind gesture.

One year, I bought the fill and thrill Easter eggs and put $5 in each one. I then drove through the Walmart parking lot looking for the most beat-up cars and placed an egg under the wiper blade. My son and daughter-in-law also took a few eggs to place on cars along a street filled with low income housing.

This is simple isn’t it? Imagine someone’s surprise when they drive up to get their order from the fast food restaurant and are given a cookie. Or imagine your neighbor who is surprised when you bring over an extra ($4) Easter lily, or the shut-in who receives extra toilet paper or stamps. Just do something to fulfill the assignment once this week.

As promised, here are a few things from my journal this past week: I prepared taxes for my two sons (yes, good deeds count for family members too); wished two friends happy birthday on Facebook; gave extra Easter goodies to a neighbor; and arranged a party for my single, senior, church friends where we dyed Easter eggs and then hunted others filled with candy. And, of course, there were prizes, all to delight our inner-child!

Please share what you do this week either on the blog site or on Facebook. When I wrote Simple Things to Make This World a Better Place, it was sometimes difficult to get others to share about their good deeds – they did not want to sound boastful. But, it’s only boastful if you are sharing to receive praise and accolades for what you did. Sharing to give others ideas is NOT boastful and it’s a good idea to do so.

So, how are you going to make this world a better place this week? And who will you invite to share this journey?