How to do good

This is not a formula for how to do good things or how to make your life better. It's not a quick fix or a way to snowjob people into thinking that you are a better person than people think. Far too many people have already figured out how to do that. Look at how many people are saints in the media's eyes yet we see how they live behind the scenes and we are appalled.
What I want to look at today is how to live out good deeds, how to do the things that we should be doing and what our attitude should be during those good deeds. There's nothing more sickening that the way people want credit for their good deeds.
We have a Christmas party for the kids in our programs through the Betty Griffin House each December. It's an awesome event where Santa makes an appearance, gifts are given out and food is provided. We provide the families with nice meals, and the children with gifts which they had asked for. THere are about 12 people who work hard to make all this happen. There is one lady who oversees everything and takes almost no credit for it at all. She quietly makes sure everyone is involved. Then, there is her assistant in the event who makes noise while simply doing what she has been asked to do, and she draws all the attention to herself.
Meanwhile, there are several other ladies that show up and work in the kitchen all day, never set foot on the floor or near anything except to take empty trays off of hte serving table. They work for about 8 hours total the entire time we are there cleaning, fixing, preparing, not once do you see them even stop to see the joy the kids have when they open their gifts or how great it is to see these families have their needs met, both physically and emotionally. Then, there are the few that show up as the families do, work hard openly and do all the stuff that is seen by the families, and they are the ones that end up taking the credit.
It's sad but that is how it works.
James 3:13-14 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom"
We show wisdom by a good life lived and by deeds that are done in humility. The lady who heads things up lives this well, but I want to point to the ladies in the kitchen. Those ladies deserve all of the credit in the world because not only do they work behind the scenes, not only are they the biggest part of making the event a success, but they do it without needing to even see what is going on. That is awesome, they trust that the kids are enjoying themselves, they trust that everyone is taking credit for it and they are okay with that. That is deeds done in humility. Humility is not publically thinking less of yourself than you ought to, it's the freedom from thinking of yourself at all. I read that quote some time ago and I wish I could remember where to give credit for it.
That's it, do what GOd is calling you to do, do it with the joy of the Lord and with total humility. Avoid thinking of yourself at all while you do it and you will double your joy.
(For those of you wondering, I deliver all of the packages behind the scenes, I set up all the tables before the families get there, and I work in the kitchen(sounds great I know), but I also spend a lot of time out there playing with the kids and seeing how it's going so I only have it half right! haha
Thanks for reading and have a great day!