give anyway

i have debated on writing this post for a couple of weeks now.  i dont want it to seem judgemental or mean but this is something i feel very strongly about.  i dont think i am being a good and honest blogger if i didnt share with you what is on my heart.  just remember, this is not meant to offend you, it is meant to inspire you.  it is a call to stop saying "i should" and to take action and responsibility. 

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even though its no longer the "season of giving,"

GIVE ANYWAY! 

here we are starting the 2nd month of the year.  the holiday high is gone ... not much to look forward to.  during november and december, it is so easy to be reminded of how blessed we truly are.  we think about love and loss, of hope and grace ... tis the season, right?  what i want to remind you is that the homeless, poor, lost, widowed, needy and hungry are still all these things!  two months later, they still need your help.


yes, you may have been the answer to someone's prayers two months ago.  you may have actually saved their home or even their life.  just think about how much good you could do, if you applied this mentality to all 12 months of the year.  most of us collected coats or served in a soup kitchen in december for the 1st or 2nd time that year.  there were people paying off layaway for christmas toys and filling up food pantries all over the world.  we feel so humbled and blessed to be able to help others in need.   serving others can really make you feel good about yourself, but that is not what serving others is about.  here it is february 2012, and we can make a difference if we keep that holiday momentum going.

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - ephesians 2:10 (niv)

what it means to give sacrificially - you actually have to give something up, sacrifice your time, money and/or energy to serve someone else while wanting nothing in return.  here are a few examples of taking our service to the next level:

• if you buy yourself an $8 lunch out of a $10 bill and give the $2 you have left to a homeless guy, good for you.  BUT if you take that $10 bill and buy him lunch AND give him the extra $2, then you are doing great.  if that means you have to eat that can of soup thats been in your desk drawer for 2 months, so be it.  (ps - dont lecture the person on how they must spend the $2.  once you give it away, it is no longer your business)
• better yet, buy two $5 meals and eat with him :)
• dont go visit with someone when you can squeeze it in and its more convenient for you ... how about sacrifice your thursday night of tv or your date night to take over a pie and actually sit with them to have a piece. 
• give away something that you actually love and use often.  we have all given away an old jacket that is out of style or no longer fits and the blankets that dont match our decor or that has a coffee stain ... but what about your favorite most warmest coat you have?  that is a sacrifice! 
• serve in your local soup kitchen once a month or so, until you actually know someones name. they may even start to remember you and consider you a friend.  continue working on the friendship by taking them for coffee and getting to know them better
• serve someone anonymously.  do not tell even one person what you have done to help someone in need.  that feeling deep in your gut to spew it to the world and try to inspire others does not always come from a good place.  sometimes it just needs to be between you and God. 
• give to someone that has absolutley nothing to give back.

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let face it, one month a year just doesnt cut it!  one day in a soup kitchen every 365 days, will not change anything but how YOU feel that day or week.  we need to change how and why we serve!  most of all, we need to be an example to the people around us ... show them what it means to serve others.  when we say "we dont have time" or "i have nothing to give" then we are lying to ourselves so we can sleep at night.  look around, what has God blessed you with and how can you use it to serve someone?   

this is not just a challenge for you, i am also challenging myself to make changes.  i have a long way to go and a lot to learn.  my immediate goals are to serve more intentionally and sacrificially.  i am also challenging myself to not only serve locally but globally {and if you serve only globally, try to find out ways to serve more locally}. 

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"Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause"
- hillsong united