It all started on New Year’s Eve, 2010, when our oldest daughter casually said, “Why don’t we see how much we can give to others next year?” Surprised and proud of her, we thought it sounded like a wonderful idea, and we adopted the family motto for 2011 “How can we help?” As a family we decided that when we saw a need, that's the question we would ask ourselves. When we had people over or went to someone's house, our attitude would be the same, "How can we help?" Giving to others takes many different forms and were excited to see what the year would hold.
Over the next 12 months, unbeknownst to my family, I made notes of ways we had given each month. I didn’t note them as they happened, but at the end of the month I would brainstorm the ways we had given of our time, resources, encouragement, etc. The goal was not necessarily to make a list (and definitely not to show anyone else the list), but to make our kids aware of what one little family can do, when they decide that it is far more fun to give than to receive.
Most of us give in many ways each week: a meal to a friend, praying for someone who needs encouragement, helping out financially, a smile to a stranger, food to a begger, serving in our communities, giving away things we aren’t using anymore, and so on. The individual acts may seem small, but the efforts are not - they make a lasting impact on those you give to, not to mention the positive impression they leave on the little eyes watching you.
In the past, my husband and I had been hesitant to include our kids in our giving to others, because of the verse in the Bible that can be misunderstood, in regards to giving: “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matt. 6:3). But this verse is not telling us we shouldn’t lead our kids to generosity, this verse in context is warning against bragging and doing good deeds for the purpose of public recognition, rather than giving from the heart. In talking about this concept, Garrick and I feel a huge responsibility to show our kids what giving actually looks like on a day-to-day basis, not sharing specific dollar amounts, but including the kids in our efforts, even listening to them when they have an idea on how we can share what we have. If we don’t model this privilege to our kids, how will they learn?
Fast-forward to Christmas Eve, 2011. As we sat around the table at dinner, I surprised my husband and kids, and read the list of all the ways we were able to give to others, month-by-month, for the past twelve months. We were all honestly amazed at what 5 people intentionally setting their mind to helping others can do! And some of the efforts had long been forgotten, but the kids' faces lit up as they'd say, "Oh! I remember when we did that!" or "I forgot all about that!" The joy at that table was evident.
This post is not about what our family did or how we gave, rather the hope is to encourage someone else to ask, “How can we help?” and then act on it. Take a meal, pray for others, give away unused items, invite someone over, buy gas or groceries for a single mom, help someone with childcare, diapers or baby items, practice random acts of kindness, reach out to the homeless...the ways to help are countless. In the seemingly small and in the obviously big, you may very well discover what we have come to believe: it is truly more blessed to give than to receive.
So in 2012...be blessed!
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