Thanks and Giving
It’s November so…
We think of Thanksgiving. We remember our blessings and give thanks.
This past week, I saw a different message on a church sign:
It is the Season for Thanks and Giving
Hmm, that’s another way of looking at it.
Being thankful. Giving to others.
I’m going backwards and start with giving. We know all about that don’t we? If you are like me, you are constantly being badgered through mail, by phone, or other means by organizations asking you to give, GIVE, GIVE!! But what if we gave a different way than reaching into our pocket books.
What if we reach into our hearts instead?
Today, I want to talk about a different way of giving–not money, but of yourself. I’ve made a list below of some ways to give, that at least indirectly, don’t require money, but rather the sharing of ourselves in love.
Giving of ourselves:
- Give the gift of your patience and kindness to the frazzled store clerk that has just been berated by a previous customer.
- Give a smile to those you meet.
- Share a courtesy–open a door for someone, carry part of a heavy load, share an umbrella, let someone else have the closest parking space.
- Visit a shut-in or someone in a long term health care facility.
- Bake something and share with an elderly friend or neighbor.
- Send a card to a friend with whom you’ve lost touch over the years.
- Reach out to someone who is hurting and offer a listening ear.
- Select a family member, friend, or neighbor and do a task for them that they may be unable to do.
If you have suggestions for ways we can share the gift of love with others through the giving of ourselves, please share in the comments below.
You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous in every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 2 Corinthians 9:11-12.
Being thankful
You probably already practice thankfulness on a daily basis. I confess that I am not as attentive to being thankful as I should. Sometimes I tend to take my blessings for granted. Does that ever happen to you?
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34
Sometimes circumstances may overwhelm us and we only focus on the trials and hardships rather than the blessings. Have you experienced these periods of darkness–when God seems far away?
Give thank to the Lord in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
But, God isn’t far away–He is with us every step of our journey. He is always within reach through prayer and scripture. He is waiting for us to call out to Him–to go to Him in prayer–to lift our hands in praise and in times of our need.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15
So in this season of Thanksgiving, I pray that you and your family will be blessed by the realization that God loves you. You are His special child.
And–if you can, in this time of Thanks and Giving–share the gift of yourself with someone else through the gift of kindness.
Amen Ms. Katherine. It’s so important to remember to be thankful for all the blessings in our lives. Even in the midst of a trial, there’s blessings. We just sometimes have to look deeper to find them. As for giving, the best gift we can offer is ourselves. When done right, people won’t realize it but we’re actually giving them a little injection of God’s light and love. Isn’t this what we are all called to do? God’s blessings this holiday season and thank you for this wonderfully unique perspective that no one but you could have brought us ma’am. I can only speak for myself, but my world is just a little brighter because you are in it my friend.
J.D., You have brought a warm light to my day. After several days of clouds and rain, we have sunshine today, but it is even brighter now! You, my friend, have a special gift of sharing encouragement and hope. God granted you an extra special dose of the ability to spread the light of His love to others. Thank you for the blessing you have shared with me today.
So easy to feel overwhelmed by busyness which makes me feel like there is no time to give more of myself. Loved these simple examples of things I CAN do today. Fills me with hope instead of anxiety.
Barb, I know that feeling of being so busy that we believe we are doing a poor job at all of our responsibilities. I just prayed for us–that during this busy holiday season our Lord will grant us wisdom and discernment to know those tasks that He would have us to do in support of Him and our loved ones and that we won’t be so anxious and worried about the other “stuff”! Wishing you a blessed season of Thankfulness and Giving.