July 25, 2018

Give to be filled

Giving can far too easily be separated from visible results. We just drop some money in the plate at church and go our merry way. But giving should evoke a much deeper connection. It is easier to be a cheerful giver when we see direct and immediate results from our giving.

This is part of the reason why sponsoring poor children is a popular way to give, you make a connection with another human and see results.

At the same time, Jesus warned us of making a show with are giving, and told us we shouldn't even let our left hand know what the right hand is doing.

In this challenge, the goal is to give something to impact someone in need in your own local community it can be time, an item, or money.

Ideas:

• Got a new neighbor? Cut their grass for free while they are moving in.
• Bake cookies for a neighbor and deliver them for no reason other than you wanted to.
• Organize a “meal train” with other people to provide home-cooked meals to someone who recently had surgery.
• Shovel an elderly neighbor’s snowy driveway.

Pool together and group of friends and implement a Giving Circle. Chip in a few bucks a month (~1% yearly income) into a pool and keep an eye out for needs in your community. If anyone sees a need, tell the group and see if you want to allocate funds to help this person out.

The key with this challenge is to take action, do something within a week. It does not matter how small or large it is, your act of giving might be all it takes to brighten someone's day or help them out of a tough situation - irrespective of the personal benefits you receive from giving.

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