Give It Up and Live It Up

“We don’t get credit for what we leave behind. We get credit for what we give away.” When the pastor said this yesterday morning my mind began to wander and I think I lost the next 5 minutes of his sermon. Our culture is pretty big on collecting “stuff.” Stuff that we can eat or use to prepare our food. Stuff that we can play with. Stuff that helps us relax. Stuff that makes us look better, thinner, younger. Stuff that makes our home cozy. Stuff that gets us to where we want to go in comfort and style. We like stuff. Recently I heard someone say that they aren’t sure they want to go to heaven because they will miss their STUFF!

What if we switched our focus from all we can store in this life, to all we can give in this life. What if we did this in 3 separate areas?

11.       Our resources. This is where you thought I would go, right? Parents and grandparents, stop over gifting your kids! We all know that the more they get, the more they want. The more they have, the more cluttered the house becomes which stresses out the parents, which stresses out the kids, which stresses out the parents more, which stresses out the kids more. I speak truth here. Can I get an AMEN!

Christmas is coming. This year, instead of spending the entire Christmas budget on stuff, give the kids the gift of giving. Take a portion of what you would spend on them and help them find a need in the community or around the world. Did you know that $12.50 will provide one child with a school lunch for a month in Haiti through the organization, Haiti Hungry No More? (like them on Facebook). What child wouldn’t want to share with a starving child?

Don’t make this something that you do IN ADDITION to what you give. Make it what you do INSTEAD, so they can feel the joy of sacrificing their own desires for someone truly in need. If they have a meltdown about making a sacrifice, you will know that you have successfully contributed to the building of a child who feels entitled. Detox their hearts by accepting where you are,realizing that it is ungodly and unhealthy, and begin to do life differently.

22.      Our Time.  Take a look at your calendar. How much marginal time do you have? How are you using your time to help others in need?  Can you begin to budget your time like you do your finances. Don’t overspend your time so that there is nothing left when an opportunity arises to bless someone. Just last year we were blessed by a whole crew of people that budgeted their time so they would have an entire day to put a roof on our house. My life is very full and having an entire day to give away is a rarity, but I witnessed it and we were richly blessed by those who took the time to be a blessing.

Talk about what you and your family can give … maybe start with once or twice a year and build up to every quarter or even once a month. Be aware of needs and be very prayerful about who to help. There are many needs in front of us every day. Even Jesus didn’t “fix” everyone who had a need. You could spend all your time reaching out to others, without even trying, and neglect your own children. Proceed with caution and wisdom and guidance from the One who wants you to say NO to some things so you can say YES to what is most important. We take zero minutes out of this world when we go. Give as many away as you can before you are called to go to your eternal home.

33.      Kindness. Didn’t see that one coming, did you?  It’s Cyber Monday as I write this post. Retail has gone wild. Stores are marking things down to sell more than they did on Black Friday. People are trampling over people. Retail employees are being harassed and insulted. I will never understand how something as beautiful as Christmas brings out the worst in people!

How much kindness can you leave behind? I think of the fairy tale where the children dropped bread crumbs on the trail in order to find their way home again. It didn’t go well for them because I think they ended up feeding hungry birds, or something of the sort. However, imagine leaving a trail of kind words and deeds. A trail of smiles and nods. A trail of letting others go first. A trail of genuine acts of kindness…. Not so others will reciprocate, but so that you can be the hands and feet of Jesus that the world needs to see. Start at home. Let them see the smile you share with your spouse. Let them witness you going the extra mile so lend a hand with the dishes. Be Kind Always!

Just take a look at what you have and what you give and see if, as a family, you can find a way to begin to store up more treasure in your eternal home than you do in this temporary one. Give your resources, your time and your kindness so that you will leave this world a better place than it was before you arrived… and have a Merrier Christmas!

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant

nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain,

but to put their hope in God,

who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds,

 and to be generous and willing to share.

 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves

 as a firm foundation for the coming age,

 so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

1 Timothy 6:17-19

GIVE IT UP AND LIVE IT UP!