Why Pay it Forward?

But do not forget to do good and to share,
for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Hebrews 13:16

If you’ve never paid it forward with acts of kindness, then it’s impossible for you to know what it does to your soul and the people you help.  You need to try it!   With the deep, dark storms that we have to pass through in this life, it’s nice to know that someone else has ‘been there, done that’, and is willing to help you through.  It doesn’t take much.  Sometimes, all it takes is a kind word; other times, it takes a lot more.  You cannot measure it; it just unfolds.

In my ministry, we help people recover from addiction through discipleship, Bible teaching, and coaching.  We also make paying it forward part of our program because it brings self-esteem and joy.  I remember having a client who had been recovering from a cocaine addiction.  We’ll call her ‘Jane’ to protect her identity.  She was fresh out of her addiction and we were walking and working together on her road to recovery.  She was so angry when I told her that she needed to find a way of giving back right away.  She fed me every reason on earth why not to… she lived too far from places where she could donate her time… it was too much trouble right now.. she was the one who needed help so she couldn’t help anyone else… and the excuses went on and on.  I told her that I couldn’t continue helping her unless she found just one way that she could donate her time to help someone else.  I said that this is how God works and we need to act on it – in faith.  Reluctantly, she scanned her neighborhood and found a little nearby church that, once a week,  gave food (and a variety of other necessities) away to those who were in need, so she grudgingly volunteered.  Jane excitedly called me the very next day and was talking at 100 miles per hour about how beautiful her experience had been and how much she loved helping.  She was the only volunteer who stayed until after midnight in order to talk and minister to the people she had served.  Her self worth and joy soared and her paying it forward began, along with her full recovery.

Our purpose here on earth has already been designated by our God.  He fashioned us in His image to do very specific work that only we can do.  He made it so that we would meet certain people and have unique events happen that would both change our lives for the good as well as others.  We just need to plug into that purpose by taking action.  By so doing, our joy level goes up because we are pleasing God.  Happiness comes and goes, but joy lasts forever.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2