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The spirit of Christmas is behind us, but it is a spirit that we should keep all year, for it reminds us that we, like Jesus Christ, came into this world with nothing, and we will leave it with nothing. It is a very humbling thought, but all we really have is what we are.
It is my belief that we are put here to help each other through a lifetime of joy and sadness, through sickness and strife, through hunger and desperation, and to love and care for those less fortunate than ourselves.
If we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves, we have failed. If we have not fed the hungry and helped the oppressed, then we have turned our backs on the poor and our Christian obligations.
Matthew 25:42 says, “I was hungered and you gave me no meat, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,” and Jesus said, “In as much as you did it not to the least of these, you did it not to me.”
As we are now faced with a new year and January
gets underway, we are filled with new hopes of prosperity and good will, yet the uncertainty of a new presidential administration who seems unconcerned with the poor.
Our goal should be to help those in our community who are in need. Take the time to visit the elderly, as they have so much to offer. And see where you can help in the area food programs or clothing for the poor or disaster victims.
My father gave me a lot of good advice over the years before he died. He always said to live your life one day at a time, because you are not promised tomorrow. He also reminded me after my mother died not to dwell on the death of a loved one, you must go on with your life because “life is for the living.”
But the most profound thing he ever told me was the words of an old saying that he quoted to me many times growing up. I think about it often, as I see people who forget where they came from, or how they got to where they are. It makes me remember that every single person counts, and has something to offer mankind, regardless of their “station” in life.
No one seems to know the origin of the saying, but it goes something like this: “When you are climbing up the ladder of success, remember all the faces of those you step on getting to the top, because they are the same people you will meet on your way down.”
Kandy Barnard is a columnist for the Cherokee Scout. To talk about the Andrews Valley, call her at 828-361-3268 or email kandybarnard@gmail.com.