A HAND UP

I feel blessed to be able to work in the capacity of serving others by offering a hand up.

Whether you are down in the dumps, down on your luck, down to your last, or just down

for the count, the goal is to get up. The hope is that there is help. The problem is that

sometimes help hurts. Help that picks you up without building you up can have adverse

consequences. For example, when you continue to give money to someone who does

not know how to manage money, you keep them in a fruitless cycle of dependence.

Likewise, when we only extend material resources to lift another, our help becomes a

handout rather than a hand up. I believe that it is better to lift others with every

available resource (material, educational, mental, and spiritual) so as to allow for

transformation and make their standing sustainable.

The true difference between a handout and a hand up is that the hand up leads to

opportunities for change, growth, and even generational transfer. What an impact to

look years later and see not only the one you helped still standing but to see their

children standing. There are many people in our communities who need a hand up.

Some of whom may not be able to tell the difference between a handout and a hand up.

Some who are so desperate that they settle for a handout. However, when faced with

the choice to give a handout or a hand up, I hope you will choose the latter. You can do

this by donating your time and resources to community organizations that operate according to the “hand up” model.