Instead of feeling guilt over what you can’t change, why not change what you can?

On the First day of Christmas my loved ones gave to me – guilt.

On the Second day of Christmas my church family gave to me – guilt.

On the Third day of Christmas the media gave to me – guilt.

On the Fourth day of Christmas some random guy I saw begging for food gave to me – guilt.

(Insert eight more guilty situations here.)

And I really hate feeling guilty!

Along with the season of joy comes the season of guilt. Everywhere we look, and a lot of places we’d prefer not to look, people are in need. And for some reason – maybe that guilt I mentioned before – it’s harder to ignore at this time of year what we should pay attention to all year round.

Pleas for help come from every direction, from “giving trees” in churches and businesses to requests for donations from large corporate charities to celebrities on the radio singing songs asking us to “. . . feed the world.”

And that doesn’t even allow for the requests and needs we find at home.

The problem is, with the current state of world politics, overpopulation, food distribution networks and a host of other impediments, it is not possible, in spite of what Band Aid tells us, to feed, clothe, or otherwise save the entire world.

Hey, Jesus told us there would be poor always. It’s an overwhelming problem, even with today’s technology, medical advancements and the desire of good people everywhere who would like to help.

So what should we do? Should we just shrug and turn away, telling ourselves we can’t save the multitudes of poor, so we might as well not do anything?

Ebenezer Scrooge asked, “Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?” And if you’ll recall, that didn’t work out very well for him.

While it’s true that we can’t save the multitudes, we should remember that multitudes are made up of lots of individuals. And each one of those individuals is a person you might know; might like; might, in other circumstances, be.

Here’s an idea: Why not help one person? Why not make a difference in one life?

I guarantee that the difference you make in that one life will make a difference; if not to the world at large, then certainly in your own heart.

So find a way to be of use to someone. Keep it simple and doable. Choose a child from a giving tree at your church. Donate a few cans of food to a food pantry. Slip $10 into a Salvation Army kettle. Drop off a warm coat and blanket to a homeless person. Carry a “give-away” bag filled with a few bucks, non-perishable snacks, warm socks, etc. in your car to hand out the window to the next person you see asking for food or money. Shovel your elderly neighbor’s sidewalk or mow their grass for free. Give someone without a car a ride. Read to a lonely patient in the hospital. Volunteer once a week – or once a year — at the hospital, food pantry, your church, your child’s school, the Veteran’s clinic, the senior citizens center, the Salvation Army, a soup kitchen, a non-profit thrift store, etc. Give blood. Give a darn.

No, you won’t have solved the world’s poverty problem. Your little contribution will be infinitesimal in the big scheme of things. But what if everyone did the same? We still wouldn’t solve everything – but we’d sure put a good dent in things! And you’ll feel good about what you’ve done.

Don’t bother feeling guilty this Christmas season. Your feeling of guilt is useless to others. Instead, do something, no matter how small, to make a dent. You might end up entertaining an angel.