Be humble inside

by Peter Twitchell

Webster’s definition of humble is “destroy the power or prestige of.” The reason I looked this word up is because one day this past summer I saw a middle-aged native man holding a sign at a stop sign which read: “Be humble inside, Jesus loves you.”

I never forgot it.

What are the feelings and thoughts that flash across our minds when we see panhandlers and others begging for money or aid, in order to eat or get enough money together to buy a drink or some other material thing.

I could make such a sign and go out there and beg. I look old enough I might even get a few bucks for my effort.

The City of Anchorage reported that panhandling or asking for money on the street netted over two million bucks last year.

The individual holding up a sign near traffic gets a few bucks in a day, not to mention risking his/her life on the busy road system. Collective panhandlers are successful in collecting big bucks.

Now if everyone put that money in an investment they would do well. Personally, I’m okay with paying even a hundred dollar gift if it were going to a specific account to help the needy.

In fact, I’d ask everyone to pitch in and help get panhandlers off our streets. This would fit that sign and what it stands for in being humble inside.

How many of us with social security if that government fund were wiped out would seek other aid from the well-to-do? It could happen one day soon.

We are not guaranteed permanent government aid. Although we earned every penny we put into social security we were giving aid to the needy. It’s good that we worked 20 to 50 years to keep social security afloat!

I encourage every young man and woman to go to work and save your money now so you have available money in your old age to sustain you and carry you through your non-working years. And, if you plan carefully now for that time you’ll be covered.

Although I didn’t consciously plan for my old age, the Creator God helped those in charge of our future to help plan for us. Now we could be looking at: “God helps those who help themselves.”