Tis' the Season to Give

It's the tenth of December and snow was bound to come. The tree tops are covered in the gorgeous white powder. It glistens in the sun and brings light to the world. It's a winter wonderland! Although it's not necessarily fun to drive in or safe, I've not only enjoyed the aesthetic pleasures of snow, but also the entertainment of sledding and snowball fights. Oh, and the three snow days in a row have been nice too! I think I'm finally getting used to the Christmas season. Call me crazy, but I haven't been enthusiastic at all for the holidays. What's even more unusual, is the fact my family is going on a vacation to Florida for Christmas break! I'm sure anyone would love to trade my place and go somewhere warm in December. I guess I've never really spent Christmas anywhere other than where's there's snow, and am scared to deal with the loss. It's the only day of the year where I think there should be snow. But, I've learned that it doesn't matter what the weather is like, as long as I'm with my family, it's Christmas.

Let's not forget the reason for the season, though! There's a cute saying that "Jesus is the reason for the season." I love this phrase because it reminds us the real reason of why we gather over sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. It's Jesus' birthday! In order to honor Him in all His glory, I think it's only appropriate to spend the season doing something that Jesus might do: giving. It's the least we can do to repay Him for saving our souls. And, it's the only gift we can give Him for His extra-special birthday! It's so hard to re-prioritize our lives and set our minds on giving. We are selfish by human nature. You just have to keep in mind that it's not our money or things in the first place. Everything we have is God's. He gave them to us in the first place and blessed my family with so much! When I give it away, I'm just using God's money to impact others in need.

Now, just because we have the heart for giving, doesn't necessarily mean we know exactly what to do with it and how to go about it. Believe me, it's harder than it looks! Lately, I've been struggling with this issue of giving. I don't know what it is, but something in my heart is holding back, and I need to overcome it with God's strength! The problem for me, is I don't know where to give. My analytical perfectionism is constantly thinking of the "best" place to give my money and I shouldn't give it that much thinking. It's really simple: when you see a need, give. It can be as easy as going to grocery store! Every time you visit the store, you hear the Salvation Army bell and see the bright red bucket. Most of the time, people just walk right past it, possibly feeling guilty they didn't give what change they had (in the least). Even if you don't have much, or already gave your money to a different cause, every little bit counts!

Last Monday, I had the perfect opportunity to give. My mother told me about a girl, at the school she teaches at, who is poor and doesn't have many clothes. If there's anything I can give away, clothes is certainly the best thing. I have way too many clothes than I need and let's just say I'm a "shopaholic" when it comes to clothes. Anyway, I immediately dropped my homework and raced to my walk-in closet. My mom told me she wore a size 0-3 in teenage clothing, which was perfect because I just grew out of that size. I piled together about 20 different items-from jeans to blouses to dresses. As I threw out clothes that I had enjoyed when I was her age (8th grade), I imagined her smile as she wore these fun, cute, in style clothes. This is the excitement that comes from giving! The Bible has many different references to giving.

Matthew 6:3-4
"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

That's the other thing about giving: when you do it without pride and in secret, you will be rewarded even more! You'd think it would be different, but when you give in secret, you practice humility, and don't get caught up in the world's twist on giving. Boasting while giving defeats the purpose of it, doesn't it? If the point of giving is to give God glory, then we need to give humbly. Then, we can quietly know inside that you completely impacted someone's life, without them knowing it. It's like a mystery, then. It's like opening up a surprise gift, or not knowing who sent you beautiful flowers. That's the fun of giving!

2 Corinthians 8:7 "But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving."

Throughout the Old Testament, there are many instances when the Israelites excelled in giving. They even gave more than enough sometimes! It's a mind set. If you develop a heart of giving, then it's easy. Paul asked the Corinthians to continue giving, because of its crucial importance. Believe me, you won't be able to imagine or comprehend how much you will be blessed by the simple, secret act of giving. Tis' the season to give!

-Snow covered trees picture found on Google.