I am the type of person who can sometimes tend to feel overwhelmed. When that happens sometimes I completely shut down and cease all action whatsoever. This happened to me one week during spring semester. I felt so overwhelmed with all of the work I had to do that I didn't do a single bit of it for two days. Of course this only put me further behind, thus making me even more overwhelmed. It's a downward spiral that only leads to more despair. For the past few years I have really tried to work on doing what needs to be done without worrying about the magnitude of the task. It has worked well in most areas of my life. I budget money pretty faithfully, plan out my school tasks by the day, and try to keep all of the activities I need to accomplish on a calendar. There is one area in which I have so far not been able to conquer my overwhelmed feelings - charity. I've always been involved in charity work to some degree, but there is SO MUCH need all the time for charities. There is the heifer charity, the mosquito net charity, the well charity, children who need to be sponsored in every place throughout the world, natural disaster relief, medical clinics overseas that need support, missionaries needing partners, not to mention local charities and needs - the list is practically endless. It's completely overwhelming to me. Even though I would love to give to all of them, I'm no millionaire. I tend to just sigh and say, "Wow, they're doing a great work... I'd love to help, but how do I chose one good work over any other good work?" More often than not, I simply end up not doing anything because I let myself feel like by choosing one organization to support, I am somehow turning my back on everything else out there. My main frustration is the feeling that I can't do it all by myself. And that's a valid feeling - I can't. But I came across a quote by Mother Teresa that really gave me perspective. She said "If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." That really shook me. I can't feed all of the hungry people in the world. I can't give them all of the medical care and teaching that they need. But today Mother Teresa's words really sunk in. I watched a youtube video called Kisses from Katie.mp4 that really touched my heart. I realized that to each of those children, "feeding one" means the difference between life and death. I realized that touching one life makes a HUGE difference if you are the one whose life is being touched. Maybe there are some of you, like me, who feel overwhelmed with how much need there is, and who feel like you might as well do nothing if you can't do something "major." If so, I hope this has been a little bit of encouragement to you. I hope one day I can feed one hundred. But today I can feed one. So I will :)
