People ask Why??

Why do you put so much work and money into charity when you can't afford it?

For those of you who know me well, this question is probably something you have thought but never actually asked and for those of you who don't and have come out and said it, here's your answer. Because I will never be one of the people who can afford it if I am not giving all of me to doing the things that God has laid on my heart. He will bless me as He always has and made sure that I never went hungry and never, even when we were homeless, never did I have to sleep on the street. My life before Daniel was more than difficult. I was a single mom of two with no family willing to help us. I came to my parents after my divorce and losing my job and our home and told them I had nowhere to go and they replied "our lifestyle doesn't work with you and the kids here so you can't stay". I put our belongings back in the car and loaded up my babies, then 2 and 5 and drove and cried and prayed for hours. I called a friend, the only person I could think might help me, the only one who was really always there to talk to and she graciously offered a guest room to us. The next 6 months were so hard. I found a job, but my daycare costs were 900.00 so I got a second job, then an apartment then another job to pay utilities. Before it was all said and done I was working 1 full time and 5 part time jobs all at the same time and raising two babies alone. Not long after we got settled in, I got a notice of eviction. I had been late on my rent after Macy had gotten sick and I had to miss work, The complex manager knew my father and had a grudge against him for something that happened years earlier. This I assume was the reason she gave me a three day notice to vacate instead of working out a late payment. Once again I had nowhere to go, but Daniel and I had started dating and he took over my childcare. We went to school together and lost touch over the years. We ran into each other again at a friends football gathering. We just hit it off like we had just always been together. I couldn't believe what he offered. A young single guy with no kids and had never been married offered to care for my children so that I didn't have to pay for daycare anymore. Then I got a better job offer. I had only 3 days to find a place to live so I called a number in the paper under rental listings. The guys said I dialed the wrong number because he didn't have house in Alabaster but he said it was funny that I called because he had a house that he rented out in Pelham and it would be ready in 2 days. It was one street over from where I was living. Daniel's parents offered money for us to move in on and we were able to move into a  house in that crazy time frame. My point to all this is that no matter how hard things have been for me, I have never been forsaken and I achieve great joy in helping others, especially children. If I have food to eat then I am more wealthy than so many others. If I have a coat to wear, I am blessed to not know a cold night without one. I owe it to myself to be the best person I can be, I owe it to the Lord to show him my thanks for all the miracles that he has worked in my life. I owe it to others who should be rewarded for being willing to help others but need help themselves. I want my children to see that it doesn't take much effort to be a good person and with a little more effort you can be a great person and an inspiration to others. I am just one person and I have very limited resources but I will use what I DO have in order to save a child from a life without a family or to give a coat to a homeless woman or to bake cupcakes for a family who wants to save a child, or to donate 5 dollars when I only have 10 because I know that I will be taken care of and He will reward me 10 fold. I could not look at myself in the mirror and see ME if I wasn't helping where I could. I wouldn't be true to what I believe or how I think God wants me to live.

So, to answer your question, I can't afford NOT to.