the nobody from nowhere who did something

Tonight the ladies at CBC started a very intriguing Bible study on the prophet Elijah. In all the studies I've sat through on the big E, this is the first one where we've ever started with his background. (I Kings 17:1 - you can dissect it yourself.) And the thing that impressed me more than anything, was that this nobody from nowhere dared to do something.

So many times I watch the homeless men at the intersection of 10-10 and 401, and I'm burdened by their plight, disturbed at their circumstances, aggravated by their litter, and ticked off by their signs and unwillingness to work. Yet when was the last time I personally volunteered at the Raleigh Rescue Mission?

I drive by Planned Parenthood in downtown Raleigh, and I think of all the girls who faced an unwanted pregnancy and considered or had an abortion (including sisters in Christ). When was the last time I donated either time or resources to the Christian Life Home in Raleigh (a home with counseling sessions for unwed Moms)? When was the last time I did anything for the House of Hope in Clayton, which helps troubled teenage girls struggling with rebellion, crime, drugs, and alcohol?

Too many times I wrap my little security blankets around my head so I don't see the world's problems surrounding us. Oh, I have a job, a home, a husband, a yard, a garden, a church, and hobbies....and so on. That keeps me busy and God doesn't expect me to do it all. And while he doesn't expect us to do it all, I do believe he expects us to take his word at face value and "redeem the time because our days our evil." Our local news at 5 o'clock aren't things that happen somewhere else; it's here in our own backyard.

So I don' t know the when, or the how, but I do know this little somebody better do something soon.