We live in a broken world. We’re aching and hungry for something, but we’re not sure what it is. That empty ache is filled with pointless stuff, yet the emptiness never really goes away. Time and money are spent on more and more things, but nothing can fill the space and make us feel whole. The solution, however, is quite simple: serve and love others.

In our community, people are comfortable and privileged. No matter how you view yourself, in comparison to the rest of the world, we are rich. We are able to live in luxury while halfway around the world or even a couple of miles down the road, there are people barely scraping by. Whether we realize it or not, we have all we need and much more. Our empty hole will not feel whole by adding yet another thing; we will only be truly satisfied if we enrich our lives by supporting and aiding those around us.

Nearly fifty percent of the world lives on $2.50 or less per day, which means survival is a daily struggle, and food is their main priority to fight hunger, which is the leading cause of deaths. People who live in poverty also lack necessary medical treatments because people can’t afford to be healthy. They’re struggling for survival while we relax in our comfortable lifestyle.

For me, that vast contrast between our lives and theirs is mind-boggling. Those truths are so heavy that it causes us to become overwhelmed to the point where we stop looking because we feel helpless. But the thing is, we don’t have to solve world hunger or rescue a village from poverty; all it takes is to make a difference in someone’s life.

In Grand Rapids alone there are many opportunities to serve, ranging from volunteering at soup kitchens to tutoring refugee kids at various centers. Despite our busy schedules and complicated lives, taking time and efforts to care about people are beyond worth it. Personally, I’ve always thought that the less you have but the more you love leads to a richer and more fulfilling life. Spending time on others for others rather than picking more at the loose threads of your life is such a blessing, and a single act of kindness could be the thing that makes all the difference.

Life is short, and time is precious. So why waste time dwelling on what we don’t have when there are so many wonderful things to focus our energy on. There is so much to be grateful for if we only just notice and take account of what others struggle for. Our community is calling out for help if we just notice and use our time to benefit our world.