Stop making excuses for not helping others

Marshall University has been helping the world this semester. Just this month, students in various organizations had Be Hope 2 Her, Helping Hungry Hearts 5K Walk/Run, Empty Bowls, Hair from Herd, Relay for Life and Up ‘til Dawn.

Be Hope to Her raised $700 for more wells in Africa.  Helping Hungry Hearts 5K raised more than $8,000 for the Huntington Area Food Bank. Empty Bowls sold over 10,000 handmade bowls to raise money for the Huntington Area Food Bank. Relay for Life advocated cancer awareness and raised money to help find a cure.  At Up ‘til Dawn, students wrote letters asking for donations to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

Whatever the cause, whatever the purpose, Marshall students were there for others, supported them and made their lives even a little better.

Our daily lives should reflect this same attitude.

How often do we make excuses for not helping someone? Are we passionate about something and just don't do anything about it?  Can we not find an outlet for our passions?

Obviously, there are many outlets. So many organizations on campus sponsor charitable activities, and when we are living good lives with food on the table and a warm bed to sleep in, or we are cancer free and don't have to walk to get our water, we should find a way to serve someone else.  There are many sororities and fraternities, academic groups and associations that sponsor charitable fundraisers and awareness events.

Other organizations on campus are devoted to serving a specific cause. Nuru is the national organization that sponsors Be Hope 2 Her, developed to help provide more water in Africa.

Everyone thinks of ideas to help someone else.  Often times, we ignore these thoughts because they are inconvenient or do not benefit our ultimate comfort. It would take time to go to the store for someone else. It was cost money to buy someone flowers. It would take thought to write someone a card.

It would take energy to walk for hunger.  We would have to get up before noon to go to some of these events.

Let's stop making excuses for not helping someone else.  It can be in a big or small way, but let's do it.  

At the end of the day, is it more important for us to be completely comfortable and content or for someone else to be encouraged and their lives made better? 

It may require giving something up, but it is worth it.

So whether it's a specific cause you're interested in furthering or you're just hungry to help someone, find a way.