The Secret to a Successfully Unforgettable Trip!!!
I got the opportunity to travel to Philadelphia, PA this past week and as much as it pains me to travel out of town I am grateful that I get these chances to see things (for free!!!) that I would normally never get to see. Here is Philly there are some pretty interesting place to visit. First off this was "the place" that our country was formed. So to look at it now it is hard to imagine a bunch of men sitting around a table or probably a pub saying let's just form our own country. I mean think about it. Here these guys were willing to take on the world's largest and one of the oldest superpowers at the time. If only they knew then that we would be bailing Britain out of two world wars 150 years later right! But to walk around the same area and footsteps as George Washington, Ben Franklin, and John Hancock, the world’s most famous signature, and take all of that in was pretty moving. Not to mention that the place I am working is right next door to the PA Masonic temple where all these guys had secret meetings. I mean if you don't have respect for our forefathers then you need a gut check. These men formed the outline of the most (well at one time) prosperous, inspiring, and downright bad____ nations ever. Freedom and Liberty didn't truly exist until these guys did it. They changed the entire world as we know it for crying out loud.
If you ever get a chance to visit I think you should. But however there were things I saw that were not so great. This city is still full of hate and negativity. Lines are drawn and they won't be moved anytime soon, and the motto "brotherly love" is nonexistent here. I walked around a lot and I guess when you get used to being in the suburbs you rarely see how tormented many people are today. Homelessness, drug and alcohol dependency are very real here. I couldn't walk one block without seeing someone sleeping on the steps or having a sign out. It's always a hard decision to make when thinking of helping one of them. It's dangerous for one and most of the time you're just not sure how to help. You can offer food and they want money, but you don't want to give them money to support a habit so you get confused and frustrated. At times I wish I had the power to fix the whole world because I hate to see anyone suffer. I feel fortunate to have had a chance to make a good life for myself, and I know how easy it is to judge someone asking for money but we can't do that. Some people come from broken homes and abuse and never had anyone to tell them how special they are and how much God loves them. Put yourself in the shoes of a child that had no hope from the beginning and the mental abuse they took from a young age; they get conflicting and think they are worthless and that road leads to pain and suffering for years after.
I can't fix the world but I can do my best to not judge it. I have friends that come from a bad past and some from a good one. I guess the one thing I can do is pray, and do what I can to help those in need. I understand we all want a good future for our children and nice things for ourselves. But next time you waste that 6 bucks on a latte, think of the guy outside the door who has nothing to eat in forty degree weather. Does it really matter if he is just some bum looking for a free meal? And how do you know that's what he has been through? We don't, but yes you’re right he very well maybe someone just looking to get high or mooch off people. I know there are plenty of those kinds of people out there I'm not foolish. But I challenge you to make a wise choice, and not a selfish choice. Can you not spare a dollar? Or maybe a sandwich? I walked by a guy living under the steps of a park with cardboard boxes as his shelter. I had a 5 minute conversation with the man and he was actually very well spoken and knew a lot about the city. It was not my job to judge him for his circumstance and how he came to be living under those steps, it's my job as a Christian, or just as a Human Being to love him for who he is.
So when we are all gathered around the Thanksgiving table and our Christmas trees, remember there will be many people who won't have that chance. Many people who have homes and still won't have that chance. But yet we have become a society so obsessed with "stuff" that we forget about those with nothing so we can feed our own greed. So we can buy our kids an overabundance of toys that they will never use. But I raise my hand and plead guilty! But I won't be any longer because I will choose to love.
When this country was formed inside Independence Hall our forefathers decided that they were going to form a nation that would be a beacon of hope for the whole world to see. So that no one man would dictate to a nation how they should live. It's time we did the same, and started living up to what these men fought for. Did they make mistakes along the way? Yes! But they did more good than harm. Don’t let their sacrifice go in vain so you can prosper in a greedy way, think twice about that change in your pocket or that extra few dollars laying around because it might just change someones life...
Matthew 16:26
New King James Version (NKJV)
26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
"so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
If you ever get a chance to visit I think you should. But however there were things I saw that were not so great. This city is still full of hate and negativity. Lines are drawn and they won't be moved anytime soon, and the motto "brotherly love" is nonexistent here. I walked around a lot and I guess when you get used to being in the suburbs you rarely see how tormented many people are today. Homelessness, drug and alcohol dependency are very real here. I couldn't walk one block without seeing someone sleeping on the steps or having a sign out. It's always a hard decision to make when thinking of helping one of them. It's dangerous for one and most of the time you're just not sure how to help. You can offer food and they want money, but you don't want to give them money to support a habit so you get confused and frustrated. At times I wish I had the power to fix the whole world because I hate to see anyone suffer. I feel fortunate to have had a chance to make a good life for myself, and I know how easy it is to judge someone asking for money but we can't do that. Some people come from broken homes and abuse and never had anyone to tell them how special they are and how much God loves them. Put yourself in the shoes of a child that had no hope from the beginning and the mental abuse they took from a young age; they get conflicting and think they are worthless and that road leads to pain and suffering for years after.
I can't fix the world but I can do my best to not judge it. I have friends that come from a bad past and some from a good one. I guess the one thing I can do is pray, and do what I can to help those in need. I understand we all want a good future for our children and nice things for ourselves. But next time you waste that 6 bucks on a latte, think of the guy outside the door who has nothing to eat in forty degree weather. Does it really matter if he is just some bum looking for a free meal? And how do you know that's what he has been through? We don't, but yes you’re right he very well maybe someone just looking to get high or mooch off people. I know there are plenty of those kinds of people out there I'm not foolish. But I challenge you to make a wise choice, and not a selfish choice. Can you not spare a dollar? Or maybe a sandwich? I walked by a guy living under the steps of a park with cardboard boxes as his shelter. I had a 5 minute conversation with the man and he was actually very well spoken and knew a lot about the city. It was not my job to judge him for his circumstance and how he came to be living under those steps, it's my job as a Christian, or just as a Human Being to love him for who he is.
So when we are all gathered around the Thanksgiving table and our Christmas trees, remember there will be many people who won't have that chance. Many people who have homes and still won't have that chance. But yet we have become a society so obsessed with "stuff" that we forget about those with nothing so we can feed our own greed. So we can buy our kids an overabundance of toys that they will never use. But I raise my hand and plead guilty! But I won't be any longer because I will choose to love.
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When this country was formed inside Independence Hall our forefathers decided that they were going to form a nation that would be a beacon of hope for the whole world to see. So that no one man would dictate to a nation how they should live. It's time we did the same, and started living up to what these men fought for. Did they make mistakes along the way? Yes! But they did more good than harm. Don’t let their sacrifice go in vain so you can prosper in a greedy way, think twice about that change in your pocket or that extra few dollars laying around because it might just change someones life...
Matthew 16:26
New King James Version (NKJV)
26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
"so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
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