Bloggers Unite: Highlighting Acts Of Kindness In Colon Panama
Bloggers Unite today in an effort to highlight acts of kindness being done across the world. This is a good thing. We are bombarded with too much bad news. This Advent season is about announcing the Good News, and not just with our lips.
In a world of media hype and grandstanding, many people prefer to do their kind deeds anonymously. Some Christians like myself who prefer anonymity, believe we are being obedient to the teachings of Jesus. Kindness is always about giving. For me it is giving of self, time, or resources to another in order to help them in some way.
Jesus had something to say about how we should give in Matthew 6:1-4 and especially verse 2a. And before you say it, yes I know. Some of my young friends have challenged me by saying the problem with that is that no one talks about the good things that Christians are doing while the news is full of everything else.
And I reply, the problem is that if our actions, or deeds were so overwhelming we wouldn’t need to be saying anything at all. Rather than talking more about what little we are doing – we should do more. For it is true – actions speak louder than words . As it is, some of us talk too much about too little!
So I still can’t blow my trumpet even with this grand opportunity presented by Bloggers Unite. I wouldn’t know where to start since it is about who I am and what I do almost everyday. Instead, I’ll use this opportunity to tell the stories of generosity and compassion seen so far in Colon, Panama.
Christmas A Season For Kindness
There is something very obvious about Christmas celebrations here in Colon, Panama. This is largely a ’shopping culture’ (and where is not?). And every occasion of celebration means no parking, ridiculous traffic jams and crowds crawling at a snail’s pace in the malls. Don’t ask me how I know that…
December is a major shopping month and it is also one of the times I’ve witnessed the most giving. And I’m not talking about gifts being exchanged among co-workers, friends and family members. This is the time for giving to the poor and the needy in Colon.
Highlighting Acts Of Kindness
This year, our congregation First Isthmian Baptist will once again donate 200 bags of groceries for our Annual Christmas Baskets drive. These will be distributed in Colon city and Costa Abajo. Majority of the items for these bags were received from the membership at our Harvest Thanksgiving service. This has been the practice for many years, that the canned goods and non-perishables collected at Harvest be given to the needy in the community in a Christmas package.
A unique gift-giving venture is now underway in two leading supermarket chains in Panama. The Arab Community in Colon sponsored a Christmas Basket drive. They asked supermarkets to package specific items and display them for shoppers to purchase as many baskets as they like. Each basket costs US$10 and are given to the needy of the province of Colon. This is quite innovative (wish our church had thought of that too:-)! So many persons get to participate in this way. You never know whose life you get to touch.
And of course, there are the many companies and their staff who collect, put together packages, and distribute food, clothing and toys to the needy children this season. They host parties at various Homes and Places of Safety. This time more than any other, I am seeing persons willing to show a little kindness and give to others.
Making Kindness A Way Of Life
As people become more individualistic, insular, and suspicious toward each other, acts of kindness tend to decrease. We become more inclined to being kind only during a crisis like a major natural disaster. We are growing further and further away from a lifestyle of kindness.
It is true that there are unscrupulous people who make it their way of life to con and abuse people’s generosity. Even in church you find them. Start any social outreach ministry and you are bound to attract a few clever ones who feel they must exploit what the church offers. However, this is no reason to stop all outreach because of a few ‘con artistes’ in the lot.
Do acts of kindness to all. In spite of bad experiences we should not grow weary in doing good and showing compassion. Sure, you must be smart. But smart should not become mean, tight-fisted and unkind. Moreover, kindness should never be limited to people who look like us, are of the same gender, speak our language or share our religion.
It is more blessed to give than to receive….
Marvia
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December 19th, 2007 at 7:07 am
[...] Marathon I made someone today feel warm and human. Make The World A Better Place Altruistic Disease Bloggers Unite: Highlighting Acts Of Kindness In Colon Panama Bloggers Unite: Crafts for China Take One Activity In Your Day There Is So Much Good In People [...]
December 20th, 2007 at 8:06 am
[...] Marathon I made someone today feel warm and human. Make The World A Better Place Altruistic Disease Bloggers Unite: Highlighting Acts Of Kindness In Colon Panama Bloggers Unite: Crafts for China Take One Activity In Your Day There Is So Much Good In People [...]
December 20th, 2007 at 11:08 am
[...] Marathon I made someone today feel warm and human. Make The World A Better Place Altruistic Disease Bloggers Unite: Highlighting Acts Of Kindness In Colon Panama Bloggers Unite: Crafts for China Take One Activity In Your Day There Is So Much Good In People [...]
December 30th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
[...] highlights Acts Of Kindness In Colon, Panama and how kindness is a way of [...]