Elevated Friday, October 2nd, 2020

Happy Elevated Friday! Today we highlight a story of one woman who, through her own perseverance and positivity, landed a steady job and the first apartment she ever was able to lease. LaShenda Williams grew up in the foster system and endured countless struggles and as an adult has faced many more. She lives in East Nashville and has been homeless, living in her car in the parking lot of Kroger. Though she could not afford to buy much, she would often go into the Kroger to meet and form relationships with the staff there. Those relationships paid off as when they had a hiring event, LaShenda was able to get a job with the help of their HR Manager! Since becoming employed there, LaShenda has been able to move into an apartment, the first she has ever been on the lease for, and has been making a real difference in the store. LaShenda loves her job and says that contrary to what most think, her job is “not scanning groceries but adding love and joy to people’s lives.”

We all have an innate desire to help others that is within us because God lives within us. We know it is right to help others. Where we often fail is finding the people to help. We often don’t see those in need in our daily lives because we are distracted and busy. So when we feel a strong urge to help others, we usually just write a check. While this definitely helps, God did not intend our helping of others to solely mean typing our credit card numbers into an internet page and hitting enter. God places people who need help all around us – physically near us – every day. We need to look around with His eyes to see them. The Bible says, “But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?” We never have to look far to see someone we can help. Today, look around and ask God to show you the people around you as He sees them.

“But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?” – 1 John 3:17 ESV

Original Article:

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