A hand up, to me, is assisting someone cope with a major change in their life.  It could be a death in the family, a divorce, the loss of a job, or even an injury that restricts their lifestyle.  Historically, we have been charitable people. We did this by taking food over to a neighbor that had lost a loved one,we  offered to help someone find a job through the connections that we had, and we offered to take care of the kids for the neighbor, while they dealt with a marital issue.  We need to continue to help our neighbors by giving them a hand up.  Forming a community network would be a great step toward retaining our individual independence with the assistance of the community only when necessary.  We give to non-profit organizations like the United Way, Red Cross, and the American Heart Association so they can give a hand up to those that need it.  I prefer to give my money to the charity of my choice.  When the government gives a hand out – it is from money that has been taken from people in the form of taxes or money that is borrowed from others.

I was homeless for a while in Nashville.  A friend told me about an organization called Matthew 25 Ministries. I went to them for assistence. They gave me a cot to sleep on at their ministry.  This was not a hand out though, I had to have a job and do chores to help maintain the facility.  I was asked to give them half of my income – they held on to it as a down payment for a place of my own.  I was instructed that I would be kicked out if I was blowing my money on drugs or alcohol.  They did random testing.  The whole experience taught me the difference between a hand up and a hand out.  Matthew 25 is definitely about giving people a hand up. They helped me with the motivation and accountability to seek the bountiful results of getting back into a place of my own. I was given an opportunity to save money and to change my outcome through my efforts, not through someone else losing their money in order for me to gain some.

I came up with an acronym for a HAND UP:

Hold out your hand
Ask them about their needs
Negotiate your role
Develop a plan

Urge them on
Praise their efforts

If we incorporate these 6 steps into our efforts, the positive results have a greater chance of being lasting results.