Have you ever forgotten to pay your utility bill? Or perhaps had an occasion where you couldn't pay your utility bill? Chances are, one of those situations has happened to you. And you made some calls, transferred some funds, dropped a check in the mail, or called a friend or family member to loan you some cash to tide you over until the next paycheck. You figured out how to get the bill (or bills) paid and ultimately life continued without much fuss.
But what if you didn't have the money, or anyone to loan you money? What if you have been out of work for a while and struggling to keep food on the table for your family? Maybe you have been job-hunting for months and finally found work, but your first paycheck is still a few weeks away, and you owe money to the utility company now? What happens then?
This is what happens:
We don't like to think about these scenarios because they make us uncomfortable. We look away from the homeless people we see on the streets because it makes us sad or fearful that it could be us on the street in the cold. We count our blessings for our stable job, and friends and family around us we can count on for help. We pray we never need to ask for help, and we make sure we are always there for the friends and family that need us. But the reality for many of our neighbors is not so pretty.
The Golden Rule -- Do unto others, love thy neighbor as thyself
What about those who don't have that support system, those friends and family to help them out when they are in need? Are they any less our neighbors? Are they less deserving of a warm and safe place to sleep and food on their table? If you were in need of help, with nowhere to turn, wouldn't you hope that others with the means would reach out to lift you up?
We call Anchorage our community -- everyone who lives here is a part of that community, and we are only as strong as our weakest members. Helping others strengthens the community as a whole. Its benefits reach far and wide in ways we might never see in person. It is part of our humanity to be good to each other and take care of each other. Now is the time to engage that part inside each of us that yearns to reconnect to our deepest humanity.
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish
United Way of Anchorage has a vision -- that no family in our community will become homeless due to the inability to pay utility bills.
Can you embrace this vision of no homeless families, no homeless children, and no homeless people in our community? Embracing the vision brings meaning, purpose and empowerment to everyone. Your contribution, the actions you take, will impact your life -- and the lives of countless others -- now and in the future, in so very many ways. Our collective vision and monetary support will make the difference this winter, keeping families housed, giving them the opportunity to become the contributing members of the community they strive to be.
There is a critical need right now to raise funds to help these struggling families, especially in this cold weather, when utility bills tend to significantly rise.
If you would like to join us and fulfill our mutual vision, please make a donation or join us at the Walk For Warmth this coming weekend.
Make it a family affair -- click on the link, create a donation page, and get your kids involved. Or your church group. Or neighbors on your block. Together we can change peoples' lives.
Gather with us in Anchorage at 9 a.m. Saturday at the First United Methodist Church, 725 W. Ninth Avenue. Or, contact Aimee at achauvot@ak.org for more information.
Jennifer Miller is administrator of First United Methodist Church in Anchorage.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.