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The following was written by Aleah Ingram for LDS Daily. To read the full article, click here.
This past week, I’ve received numerous invites to fundraising events to benefit those affected by Hurricane Harvey. It has truly been inspiring to see people around the world band together to help those in need.
It has also made me think about my own “selective caring” habits when it comes to helping others. As a journalist, I was not only able to report this week on the Church’s efforts in Texas but on the relief sent to Sierra Leona where at least 1,000 people have died in a tragic mudslide that left thousands more homeless. Not to mention, there are multiple reports now coming in of Hurricane Irma quickly closing in on the Carribean and Atlantic coast of the United States.
Now, I don’t think it’s right to compare tragedies or suffering. It’s not right to say one deserves more attention than the other or that a homeless person in Sierra Leone is somehow in more need of our attention that a homeless person in Texas. My awareness of multiple disasters around the world just made me feel overwhelmed.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the state of our world and how little you can actually do about it? I know I do.
I want to go to the blood drive for victims of Hurricane Harvey. I also want to donate back-to-school kits for refugees in my neighborhood, become a foster parent, fly to Sierra Leone personally, make meals for the homeless, and bake casseroles for people in my ward.
As predicted by prophets both ancient and modern, our latter-day world is in turmoil and so many of us want to respond to the call to go to the poor and needy. However, most of us can’t do all the things we want to do. So, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we can balance our desires to do everything with our actual limitations. Here are a few things that have personally been helpful.
To read the full article, click here.
