Do you think of yourself as a giving person? Have you taken an objective view of your giving? Are you willing to give when it costs you your comfort? Or are you only willing to give when you have an excess? What do you think God wants you to do?
Many of us give to help others at different times of the year. We are more likely to give as we approach the holidays. Our giving will go to organizations that will feed the hungry and clothe the poor. It is good for us to give this time of year to help others. But what about the rest of the year?
We are blessed with more than we need. Oh, we don’t think so. Yet, that is our wants being interpreted as needs. We, in this country, have allowed ourselves to be twisted by the media, our favorite stars, and peer pressure to the point of forgetting what being in need truly means.
The majority of us give out of excess, even if we think we don’t. Here is a quote from a fourth-century monk, Basil of Caesarea, for all of us to ponder during this giving season.
“This bread which you have set aside is the bread of the hungry; this garment you have locked away is the clothing of the naked; those shoes which you let rot are the shoes of him who is barefoot; those riches you have hoarded are the riches of the poor.”
As we decide to hoard rather than give, perhaps we can think of those who truly are in need. We might also take these thoughts with us as we go through the rest of the year. Perhaps we change our mindset and start looking for ways to share what God has blessed us with.
As we give to those in need, whether through organizations we trust or our churches, we might also want to consider giving our time. It is not just money, clothing, and food needed; volunteers are needed as well. We might simply sit down to a meal with a homeless person.
We have been blessed by God to live in a country with far more than we need. True, many of us have worked hard to accumulate what we have. Yet, we forget it is by God blessing us that we are able to work to earn our pay. God blesses us with the purpose of us blessing others. We show our thanks to God when we share His blessings.
I pray we all give to help others during this time of need. I pray we show our thanks to God by blessing others through His blessings. I pray each one of us will give thanks and share what we have with others, not only during this holiday season, but all year long. Give thanks to God. Show thanks to God. Give to those in need. Share your blessings.
Mark 12:43-44 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Marty Pressey 