No Shutdown

No Shutdown

A Guest Editorial

I read that around midnight this past Friday the government shutdown. I woke up Saturday morning before the rest of my family like I normally do, fixed a cup of coffee, and read the online edition of the Times Daily. Around noon that day I noticed the mail had run which is something it didn’t do during last week’s snow storm. Sunday morning on the way to church I noticed somebody had built a small shelter for that stray dog that hangs around the drainage reservoir along John R Street. Later that afternoon I read where Room At The Inn needed volunteers to help the local homeless population get a decent night's rest someplace warm.

Monday morning the government was still shutdown, but for my family it was back to work and school as usual. The garbage men showed up like clockwork, the news was still filled with stories of cruelty and violence, and the day followed its normal routine. In my peripheral vision I noticed people asking for prayers online, asking for help to feed their families, pleading for help with a difficult situation they suddenly found themselves in. I saw several requests from people literally begging for work. The government was shutdown, but as I made my way through the day I simply couldn’t tell the difference from one day to the next. In spite of what was taking place in Washington there were still people hurting, still those in need of a second chance, still plenty of kind words that needed to be said, and good deeds needing done.  

As a father I don’t get the luxury of stopping. As a husband I can’t simply say I’m done with all of this responsibility. As a Christian I’m told in Philippians to pray without ceasing and in Hebrews that nothing worth truly ever having comes without hard work. The government shutdown ended Monday night and if this affected your family I apologize for what may seem like a lack of sensitivity on my part, but in my world as a son, father, husband, and most importantly a Christian…there is too much work to be done, too many people in need, and too much at risk to simply shutdown whenever I come up against something I think I can’t handle. Thankfully when I stumble and when I struggle I have Jesus Christ by my side to carry me forward…and so do you.

The Anonymous Deacon

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We hope this is only the first post from the Anonymous Deacon. We see he mentioned Room at the Inn, one of the most worthwhile charities we can think of. There's still much more cold weather to come this winter. Please consider making a donation to help those who can't, for whatever reason, help themselves.