I hope you and your family had a happy and fulfilling Thanksgiving. I certainly did!
Since that day, we have experienced Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and yesterday, Giving Tuesday.
I’m sure you saw on social media or received emails or snail mail requesting your gifts to many, many nonprofits. I received messages from our local pregnancy resource center, local and global anti-trafficking organizations and international missions agencies. So much need and so little money. I’m keenly aware of the need. I worked nine years on staff for She Is Safe (an international anti-trafficking and anti-abuse nonprofit). Then I worked three years in my own content writing business for nonprofits. (In fact, I’ve just completed my final content writing deadline for The Red Cord. See the link below. The theme is 25 Days and 25 Ways to give to the Red Cord this month. I am dissolving my content writing business for nonprofits at the end of this year and solely concentrating on my Good Word and book writing. More on that in another issue. Stay tuned.)
The staff of nonprofit organizations know that people are their most generous during the Christmas season. Maybe it has something to do with end-of-year tax purposes. But for followers of Jesus, it is about following the example of the Person who generously gave us the greatest gift.
Jesus gave us the ultimate example of generosity by giving his life on our behalf. To emulate our Lord’s example, we start by developing a heart of gratitude. This development will then lead us toward a life of generosity. A grateful life is a generous life. When you know the value of what you have, you eagerly want to share it with others.
When I served a local church as Minister of Missions, part of my job included talking with people requesting help with a variety of needs. Sometimes they needed food. Sometimes a tank of gas. Sometimes help paying for their utilities. They always needed someone to listen to them. As I listened, I silently prayed and asked God for discernment about what they needed the most. Sometimes to give them something would create further dependency. There were times I didn’t perceive a clear direction. In those moments, instead of saying, “No. Sorry. We can’t help you,” I decided to err on the side of generosity. It wasn’t always a lot. But it was something and it showed the person in need that our church cared for them. My advice to you —
“When in doubt, always be generous. You will be happier, more successful, have better relationships, and be a much bigger blessing to the world.”
Kent Sanders, The Artist’s Suitcase
Wednesday in the Word
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Cor. 9:15)
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” (James 1:17)
Share Your Good Words
Good Questions of the Week: Why is it hard sometimes to be generous? What gifts have you received that showed how someone gave with abundant generosity? How did you express your thanks? What generous gifts have you given others?
Having just completed one of the busiest holidays for flying, I thought of this story I wrote several years ago. Generosity was shown to me in a variety of ways on this travel experience. The following excerpt is from a story that will be included in my upcoming book, Unseen People: Sharing Light and Life with Your Neighbors and the Nations. Click the blue link below to see the progress of the book. When you get to the page, scroll down to THE UNSEEN PROCESS — How The Book, Unseen People Is Being Born.
It’s not a place you normally find an outpouring of kindness. Everyone is either in a hurry… or tired of waiting for delayed flights… or glued to some type of electronic device… or… In my case, I found myself waiting in a line to talk to a representative from United Airlines at their customer service desk in the San Francisco airport. I had completed my very long flights from India, to Singapore, to Seoul, and now San Francisco….
Then she said, “It’s good work you do… We’re going to take care of you,” She got busy making a few more phone calls and several minutes later I was handed information for my free hotel room and food voucher for the evening and instructions on where to meet the hotel shuttle…. The kindness of a stranger bonding with me over a counter in an airport… Thank you God… because all I really wanted to do was sleep.
Thank you for generously giving your time to read my words today. I’m deeply honored to share this time with you each week. I am compelled by God to share my gift of words with you.
“And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever.” Isaiah 30:8
And this…
“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. Jeremiah 30:2
I’d love to hear from you. This is your chance to share with me whatever is on your heart today. Please share:
A most insightful and sweet column today. Thanks for being generous to share your writings with us DeAnna.