“If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.” Isaiah 58:10
Taking the focus off myself and putting it on others has always lifted me from the deepest, darkest depths of despair.
In 2004, Ted, Rocco, and I visited veterans at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. We went from room to room, visiting severely injured soldiers. The sights were worse than any Hollywood movie could depict. Ted played his guitar and entertained the troops in a rehab room. A young man who had suffered serious burns all over his body was strapped onto a bed. He moaned while his limbs were stretched to encourage new skin to grow.
As we ascended to higher floors, the wounds seemed to get worse. Though half her face had been maimed, a beautiful, dark-haired woman smiled wide and bright as she talked about recovering quickly and rejoining her fellow soldiers.
A nineteen-year-old corporal, John Chrzanowski, had been brought in the night before we arrived. Wrapped from head to toe like a mummy, he had been burned all over his body. To minimize the chance of infection, his visitors were kept to a minimum. Ted scrubbed, put on a face mask and gown, and went to talk with John.
Rocco and I stood outside with John’s mother. I had no idea what to say to her. How could any words comfort her?
“Do you need anything?” I asked. “Can I do anything for you?”
“My son is an outdoorsman.” She lifted her chin. “I can’t imagine him recovering without being able to get outside.”
Glancing about, I noticed there was no patio at BAMC to shelter burned and wounded veterans from direct sunlight.
I had zero experience with fundraising and no idea how I would do it, but I told Nancy I’d raise the money to build a patio at the center so her son and others could get outside into the fresh air but stay out of the sun.
With the help of my husband, Ted, Texas Governor Rick Perry, and many others, a beautiful pavilion was created at Brooke Army Medical Center, providing relief to hundreds of deserving and honored American military veterans. That experience prompted me to start Freedom’s Angels to help wounded soldiers and their families. We raised money to provide a track chair to a veteran who had lost his legs. Now, he can go to the beach with his family and not worry about the complications of walking with prosthetic legs in the sand.
GET INVOLVED
Ted and I help raise money for several organizations benefiting veterans, children, and animals. One charity placed shelter dogs with veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress. We’ve hosted children with terminal illnesses at our home. Meeting children stricken by a death warrant is heartbreaking. It’s so unfair to them and their families. How dare I complain
of having a bad hair day or gaining a few pounds? Those families would prefer to have my problems.
Whenever I have pity days, I think about people who struggle with much more daunting tribulations, and I get involved. “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed,” Proverbs 19:17. One Thanksgiving, Ted, Rocco, and I went to a soup kitchen and served the homeless.
The USA reports that Americans gave $449.64 billion to charity in 2019, an increase of 5.1 percent compared to the previous year.* Lending a helping hand to others comes in countless forms.
- Give financially to organizations that make a difference
- Volunteer at your local school
- Give your time at a hospital
- Do crafts and make puzzles at a retirement home
- Provide diapers and baby items to pregnancy centers
- Sponsor a student to attend a workshop or college
- Pay for a child to have music lessons or to be on a sports team
- Teach Sunday school so parents can have one hour to sit and be spiritually fed
Most importantly, look around. What will make life better for another? Like John’s mother at the BAMC, is someone saying what is needed? Ask the Lord to show you where he wants you to make a difference—some giving we do ourselves. Sometimes, we partner with others because more can be accomplished together.
To be of benefit is a powerful reason to get and stay healthy. Focusing on others provides a sense of purpose and meaning in our lives. Being others-centered reminds us to be appreciative of what we have. Coming alongside another is how we hear their story and help carry their burdens. Charity is a deeper way to connect and form a community. Helping others without expectation for repayment brings peace to the soul.
MOVE FORWARD
What can you do to help someone today? This week? This month? How about this year? Using your gifts and talents, in what way can you be of service to a charity organization in your area?
PRAYER
Lord, put in my path someone who needs my help today. Let me take the emphasis off me and my problems and be an example of your good works. I’m ready to serve you and them. In Jesus’s name, amen.
* “Giving USA 2020: Charitable Giving Showed Solid Growth, Climbing to $449.64 Billion in 2019, One of the Highest Years for Giving on Record: Giving USA,” Giving USA | A public service initiative of the Giving Institute, June 17, 2020, https://givingusa.org/giving-usa-2020-charitable-giving-showed-solid-growth-climbing-to-449-64-billion-in-2019-one-of-the-highest-years-for-giving-on-record/.
*An excerpt from Abundantly Well.
About the Author:
Shemane Nugent is a bestselling author, podcaster, and has been a fitness instructor for more than forty years. After a life-threatening illness caused by toxic mold, Shemane is dedicated to serving the Lord and helping others live vibrantly, age gracefully, and energize their faith. Shemane lives with her husband, rocker Ted Nugent, and their dogs in Texas.
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