Above All Love 1st Peter 4:8 instructs “Above all Love”, it goes on to say because love covers a multitude of sins. I don’t know about you, but I have fallen short of this instruction. If im honest, there have been times when I have placed other things above love. The Bible calls this “sin” an old archery term which means to miss the bullseye or to miss the mark of perfection.
One of the best things about the holiday season regardless of your tradition is that it reminds us collectively to come together in love with our family, friends and community. The word in the Greek use in 1st Peter 4:8 for love is Agape, translated as the highest love, the most unselfish love that champions the needs of others around us.
The reason for the instruction to “Above all Love” is both simple and profound; love covers a multitude of sins. Love enables forgiveness and healing for a multitude of areas where we have missed love’s bullseye. Loves perfect mirror helps us to see clearly that we are imperfect people, living imperfect lives from imperfect families with imperfect culture in an imperfect world. But when we choose to practice this highest Love above all, somehow all of our collective sin can begin to find a pathway toward forgiveness and healing.
So, this holiday season let’s practice LOVE above ALL.
This year the need is bigger! As we move further away from the Pandemic we have seen much of the aid and resources set in place to help families with life sustaining essentials go away. As we settle into our new normal now. We are seeing a rapid increase in households across the Tri-county Region Warren, Washington & Northern Saratoga struggling to make ends meet.
In the 2018 the United Way’s A.L.I.C.E. (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Report Identified that over 40% of local family’s as either poverty or ALICE households earning above the poverty level, but less than what it takes to survive.
The Pandemic Divide These households fared far worse during the pandemic than higher-income households. When comparing ALICE household in our region to those above the ALICE thresholds you can begin to understand just how far the gap is widening.
Below ALICE Threshold Above ALICE Threshold
ü 42% Struggling to Get By 9%
ü 17% Quit a Job Due to Child Care 3%
ü 60% Lost Income 40%
ü 68% No Rainy Day Fund 29%
ü 44% Elevated Symptoms of Anxiety & Depression 35%
FAST FARWARD to Fall of 2022 and ad into this equation, inflation, increase prices for essentials, the war in Ukraine along with 15 severe weather events so far this year in the US, each in excess of 1 billion dollars in damages and it’s not hard to understand why we are experiencing an unprecedented growth in the ALICE population across the nation. The United Way estimates that ALICE is expanding at a rate 3% faster than inflation. This means that realistically we are now approaching 50% of households in our area now falling below the ALICE threshold.
The Glens Falls Salvation Army is experiencing ever increasing demand for emergency services. Each day more and more local families (+1700 new families so far this year) are seeking help for food, household items & clothing. Utilities and housing assistance is also on the rise as government supports and restrictions on evictions and shutoffs have been removed. Our applications for holiday assistance have increased 20% this year while at the same time some of our larger funding sources are down as much as 50% year to date. Currently local need is outpacing our financial resources, in an effort to sustain emergency services to local families we need your support, please help us Love Beyond Christmas.
Thank you & Happy Holidays
Major Leo Lloyd, Commanding Officer of the Glens Falls Salvation Army Corps Serving Warren, Washington & N. Saratoga Counties
Ways to Help
- Monetary donation https://salarmy.us/GlensFallsNYRedKettle
- Volunteer to ring the bell or sponsor a kettle for a day.
- Purchase a toy or warm clothing for a child https://salarmy.us/GlensFallsRegistry
- Donate nonperishable food items or sponsor a food drive for these items
- Volunteer - email- Hilary.Akwue@use.salvationarmy.org
