I read the back of the Cheerios box this morning, because I'm always word-hungry. If you register the code online the company will donate a dollar to help the underprivileged get cholesterol screening. I don't think much about cholesterol screening, and I don't even like Cheerios (I give them to my son who hasn't discovered the magical world of frosted cereals), but I thought it would be wonderful if I would get off my lazy end and register the code.
I think about the poor, and caring for them. I know God says we need His heart, and His heart is for the poor. So I try, but sometimes it seems like giving money to various organizations isn't enough, it isn't saving the world as fast as I expect it to. I ask God what I can do to make a bigger difference, and dream big dreams of non-profits and living in the ghetto.
"He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." -Proverbs 14:31
Then my grand ideas are faced with a cereal box that asks for three minutes. A dollar that I didn't spend and doesn't follow my pet compassion's, and where's my parade and peace prize? But if I see it and do nothing, isn't that being unfaithful in the little things? The box top things change the world.
How often do we do nothing because the something we could do seems too trivial? How many cereal box resources do we squander or ignore because they aren't glamorous or convenient? The little somethings go unsung, but they are so vital, which is why I'm going to get my cereal box and contribute. Maybe someday, I'll volunteer at a soup kitchen, but today, it's cereal boxes. And I write about it because it's so funny and sad, the difficulty I have with just a little box. What baby steps can you take today to make a difference?