Lenten Reflections

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By Allyson McMahon ’25

“Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.” Luke 8:15

What does it mean to keep the word of God with a generous heart? Having a generous heart means that you are willing to give: willing to give your time, willing to give your skills, and willing to give yourself to God completely. There are many ways to give and to serve others, and you just have to be willing to do so. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that getting into Heaven will be easy, or even that you can just be a good person and you will enjoy the wonders of salvation. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it.

This past January, I had the privilege of traveling to West Virginia on a service trip. I met amazing people and we did amazing things. We met a family who was struggling due to disabilities. One parent lost his leg in an accident, and the other is suffering from a disease that puts her in a wheelchair. In order for them to go outside they need a ramp off of their front porch. Unfortunately, the one they had was almost completely rotted. My group and I had the opportunity to rebuild a ramp for this family because they are unable to. It may not seem like much to you, but it meant everything to this family, and all it took was a group of college students who were willing to give their time to someone else, and a few hammers. We were willing and able to give our time and our abilities to help out, and in the end we were rewarded in so many ways, and we even changed lives.

In this life there is not much that we can do to change the world, and nor should we try to. We should just try to do what we are able to. But are you willing? Are you willing to spend a few hours a week volunteering? Are you willing to forgive someone that hurt you years ago? Are you willing to pay for the car behind you in the drive-through line? Are you willing to pick something up off of the ground that a stranger dropped? Are you willing to show your appreciation to the workers around campus that serve us a hot meal or keep our classrooms clean with a simple “thank you?”

If this is a testament to anything I hope you see it as a testament that anyone can lend a helping hand and that we can all spread kindness in the smallest ways. I hope that you spread a little love and show the world that we all have a generous heart.