Giving.

Why do we give? We're all out here struggling to make it, working our butts off to make a better life for ourselves and our families, we've worked hard for every last cent we have, so why should we give any of that to other people that haven't tried as hard? Right?

I think a better question we should be asking is "Why shouldn't we give?".

Tonight my life group and I went to a park in Anaheim to reach out to a community in need. In this predominantly Hispanic community we met up to cook hot dogs, play some soccer ( I tried to get some people into some football but that wasn't happening ) and hand out some school supplies we had got together. It would have been easy to jump into this community and start passing judgement on immigration status and their lack of English and a million other things, but that's not why we were there - we were there to give ourselves in any way that was needed. Why? Cause this is, what I believe, loving your neighbor as yourself looks like.

I think it's easy to get wrapped up in politics, and semantics and every other dumb thing and allow ourselves to lose sight of what's important - I do it all the time, but to be honest - none of that matters.

Yes, it may be bad for our state that we have illegal immigrants draining our system. Yes, it may be annoying struggling to get the food you want from the butcher at the mexican market cause he doesn't speak English. And yes, it may be frustrating to press "2" for English - but the truth is, they are loved by the same God that loves me, and that's all that should matter.

This reminds me of the story of the Good Samaritan in the the book of Luke. Basically, a Jewish guy got robbed and beat up on a well traveled road. He was then passed by several people that you would expect to help him, a friendly neighbor and a religious leader - but neither of them helped him. Then a Samaritan came up, took him home and took care of him. The funny thing about this story and it's title is that Jews and Samaritans absolutely hated each other, but in that moment when the Jew was in need, the Samaritan saw not a Jew, but a fellow man.

That's who I want to be. The kind of man that loves others as I love myself - not because they believe the same things I do or look like me, but simply because they are here.