Reaching out to others - finding true joy

Lent is fast approaching and I have been thinking about what to do over this period of 'sacrifice'..... Most years I have given something up, for example alcohol, chocolate etc, but this year I want to do something a bit different... Perhaps do something on a more practical level, which might make a small difference to someone's life / lives... I have considered many things, for example, visiting the elderly, help out at a soup kitchen for the homeless, get involved in some form of charitable work etc... But sometimes, it is just the small things that make a difference to people's lives, making someone smile, sharing a coffee and just 'being there' for someone.... Whatever I eventually decide to do, this year for me will not solely be a form of abstinence.

Lent is very much like the New Year... We all make resolutions that we find difficult to keep as the weeks pass... the difference for me, is that New Year generally tends to be about what we do for ourselves, whereas Lent is a time of doing something for others - a time to reach out and to share.... When I do something for others that seems to have a more lasting effect rather indulging myself.

This post could be construed as being 'religious' in nature and for me I suppose that yes it is as I try to follow my Christian Faith and be a 'better person'... But on a more secular level, I think that most of us are looking for some form of internal happiness and a sense of inner peace... what better way can we experience this than by giving to others. From my own experience, I do find a sense of happiness by making someone else happy or by simply giving them some of my time. For me, this is usually achieved by doing it in a way that is private, that is, not shouting from the roof tops what I am doing, but instead doing it quietly, not looking for praise from others or any form of recompense. Doing it in this way is what gives me that feeling of internal joy.

This post is not meant to sound like I am preaching, but instead they are my own personal thoughts on how I might be able to help other people, whilst trying to be a better person myself.