Caring in Action

 

During his college years at North Carolina, Jason Brown played football. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens, in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL draft. In 2012, at the age of 29, Brown chose to walk away from a $37.5 million contract. He felt that helping people was more important than playing football.  Even though he had no farming experience, he used the money he had saved and bought a 1,000-acre plot of land in Louisburg, North Carolina. Jason began watching YouTube videos to learn how to be a farmer and plant, grow, and harvest crops. He now grows cucumbers and sweet potatoes, at First Fruits Farms, and gives the produce to local food pantries. So far Brown has given away more than 1 million pounds of food to feed people in need.

Hasbro Children’s Hospital is located in Providence, Rhode Island. In 2010, Steve Brosnihan, the hospital’s resident cartoonist, began flashing his bike light toward the hospital every night to say goodnight to one of the patients. News soon spread and local businesses, tugboats, stores, and the university began to participate in the ritual. Brown University’s Sciences Library displayed a smiling face, using LED lights.  In keeping with the tradition, every night, at 8:30 p.m., the people, boats, and businesses flash and leave on lights to send a goodnight message to the children to remind them that the people in their city remember and care about them. In response, some of the patients flick the lights in their room back at them. 

 

Renk was riding home on the subway. A boy got on at the next station. As he entered, it was apparent that several people were staring at the worn-out shoe he was holding in his hand and the mismatched socks he was wearing. He had an old backpack and messy hair. After a few stops, the man sitting next to Renk leaned over and said to the boy, “Hey, I just bought these for my son, but they might fit you better. He’s got a pair already anyway.” He handed the blue tennis shoes, with the tags still on them, to the boy. Although he was unsure, he tried on the shoes and they fit! The boy’s smile and “Thanks” changed the outlook for those on the subway that day.

 

May we, too, show we care by our actions.

 

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James 1:22