Have you ever seen people that are arrogant and puffed up to the point that they mistreat someone who is less fortunate?

I have always had this thing deep in my spirit that tells me to never, never look down or treat someone less fortunate in a way that would be unbecoming. There are people we come in contact with that are in need or have suffered disabilities, struggling financially, or heartbroken, and they simply need someone to look at them with understanding.

I guess I am really talking about elitism and an attitude that makes the person ugly inside.

One of the greatest examples of how to look upon and treat the misfortunate was Franklin Roosevelt, who served three terms as President of the United States during the Great Depression and World War II. He was not a perfect man regarding his marriage and personal life, but he did many things that he will be remembered for. He developed polio at the age of 39 as a father of 4. While they were vacationing at their lake house in Campobello Island, Canada, he went for a swim, like he did regularly, and when he got back to the house, his legs felt a little numb. They thought it would go away, but later found that he would not recover and would be paralyzed for the rest of his life from the waist down.

Ask yourself what you would have done if you became paralyzed at age 39. Hard to imagine isn’t it? Would you just give up?

He went on to become President of the United States during the worst economic cycle the nation had ever experienced; he lead the United States through WWII and held America together. He refused to let polio determine his life and control what he could and could not do.

The main point of this blog is that during the Great Depression, when families were starving and the poor were everywhere, he got together his people and told them something that was life-altering. He told them to go out into the community and meet with many of the poor, unfortunate, and homeless and to bring him back a report on the results. He told them that when they saw these people and the condition their lives are in, to treat them with respect; to realize in their heart, but by the grace of God that it could be their own family. He told them if anyone was caught mistreating these people, they would find themselves out of work, just like them.

If you have a moment, please read the paragraph above again and let that sink into your spirit of what a life-changing direction he gave to those who worked for him.

If we looked at others with this same frame of mind, it would do us well to remember this. In my own life, having no formal education and stuttering when I talk, I can tell you without question and without hesitation, but by the grace of God, that could be me and my family.

Think about where you are, where you live and what you have; my suggestion is to never forget how you got there and never take it for granted because like the people in the story above, but for the grace of God, that could be you. KT