Christmas: The Gift Of Giving

This time of year is a time of giving… 


Of gratitude. 

Of appreciation.

Of selflessness.

Of time. 

Of showing others how much they mean to us and our appreciation for them.


To share goodwill toward men, cheer and love.


Giving doesn't have to be toward someone that you know very well… it could even be a stranger.


Every Christmas season I choose someone I don't know very well or even a complete stranger to do good will toward. Last year I gave the sweet lady at the McDonald's I frequent for my sausage and egg McMuffin's a Christmas card with cash enclosed. One year it was mailing a Visa gift card to a man and his two sons in my community who had been affected by a drunk driver. His wife had been killed and having some idea of the loss he was enduring at the hands of someone who had chosen to drink and drive, I included a heartfelt note of encouragement and prayers. I believe it is incredibly important this time of year… naturally any time of year, but especially during the Christmas season to remember those who have lost loved ones. To remember those who maybe aren't feeling particularly joyous and excited about life because the one they love is not there to share in it. When we are followers of Christ we are on the road of progress, of being chiseled… yet still undeniably fail out of our fleshly tendencies to grumble, stumble and mumble the wrong thing even if well intentioned. Yet one thing we can excel at is giving… giving others the gift of the blessings we have whether it's form is monetary or time.

Gratitude Leads To Joy... 

We become joyful when we realize the value in what we already have, our blessings that are so often overlooked and taken for granted.... the "little" things that are actually the big things in life.... our health, our mobility, our independence, our bed, food, heat, transportation, our loved ones, our faith and God.


We all have choices… 

We can give the gift of time by visiting a senior care center, visiting a children's hospital, sharing goodness and a laugh or two. We can bake brownies for our post man or woman who endures weather in all extremes to get us our bills and Hickory Farm catalog on time. We can send a turkey dinner or black forest ham to our lawn service guy that has ensured our property was well cared for. We can check on our elderly neighbors who are home alone and lonely and spend some time visiting them, taking them something homemade to enjoy or invite them to join us for Christmas Eve dinner. We can donate food to a local food drive to ensure someone doesn't go hungry. We can donate money to a charity committed to helping others and raising awareness for a good cause. We can look the young woman in the eye behind the register when we check out and sincerely ask how she's doing… because we may be the only one all day who has actually asked her. We can let the mom with the crying or arguing children go ahead of us in the check out lane instead of giving her a withering glance. We can buy the man on the corner with a sign asking for help a hot meal because if we were in his position we'd be grateful for kindness extended. We all have choices. Let's all choose to make this Christmas season the best season yet… for someone else… to make someone's season shine a little brighter.


Because when we make someone else's world shine brighter it has a domino effect…


And consequently the whole world shines a little brighter too.


© gps-gracepowerstrength.blogspot.com ~ 2013

John 3:17- Love of God

But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother
 in need and closes his heart against him, 
how does the love of God abide in him?

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