In a world that often encourages us to put ourselves first, the value of selflessness can be overlooked. However, the act of putting others' needs ahead of our own is a powerful trait that can bring about profound benefits not only for those around us but for ourselves as well. As the holidays grow closer and we continue our focus on giving, one thing we at Hope Center want to draw attention to is a simple scripture that we find rings true throughout our ministry: Acts 20:35, "Christians are blessed in giving rather than receiving".
One of the greatest ironies of giving is that we often find that the one who benefits most from the act is the giver — it's one of the reasons why we work to include acts of service into every aspect of our recovery program. We serve in church, we serve our communities, and of course, we support each other along the way in recovery; and in doing so, many of our residents discover new purpose outside of the addiction that brought them to Hope Center in the first place.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote 'The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well', but we often find that by being useful, finding honor in one's actions, and being compassionate to others, you end up receiving happiness in the bargain; what you give in one area may be returned to you in many others, even if it wasn't what you were anticipating at the outset.
Selflessness towards others is also good for building community; and especially in our Hope Centers, where we often have a number of individuals with different personalities, different backgrounds, and different sets of views, the value of community-building can not be understated. Be it by offering an ear to listen to a brother in need, or a helping hand to someone struggling along their recovery journey, there are many different ways to give of yourself to those around you to foster a stronger sense of community. Strength in community is such a fundamental part of recovery, and one of the aspects of our program we're most proud of building for our residents.
Perhaps most importantly, acting selflessly is scriptural: in 1 John 3:16-18, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." In these lines we see the importance of 'putting our money where our mouth is' when it comes to giving: the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, giving utterly of himself on our behalves, obligates all of us to give of ourselves in turn.
Be it a financial contribution, something like a clothing donation to one of our Centers, or even just giving of your time, we hope you'll consider giving to Hope Center Ministries this holiday season. Check out the link below to see all the different ways you can give to support our mission to see addicts and their families become fully devoted followers of Christ.