Most of you have already started fighting the mall crowds to buy those special gifts for the people in your life. It can be hectic but it is also a joyous time of year.
It is the season for giving. As Christians, we give to each other because we are celebrating the greatest gift of all which is the gift of eternal life. We call in Christmas. That really is a reason to celebrate. But if we are not careful we will get caught up in all the trappings and we will miss the reason for the season
I have an idea and if we do it we will have the best Christmas ever and we will not miss the true meaning of Christmas. And the spirit of Christmas might even spread into the rest of the year in our own little worlds.
What if we make a conscious decision to practice random acts of kindness every day? It would be a wonderful way to get in touch with the joy of giving without expecting anything in return.
I was with a friend in a restaurant one day and he spontaneously bought lunch for a couple of students. He didn’t tell them he was going to do it or that he did it. He just paid for it when he paid for our meal. I never saw their reaction because we were gone when they got ready to pay for their bill. But I have a feeling that act of kindness caused those two students to be nicer people that day.
I also have a feeling that a single act of kindness sets a series of kind acts in motion.
It would be fun to come up with some ideas. Maybe we can leave some cash in an unmarked envelope for someone we know is struggling and cause them to breathe a little easier during this Christmas season. Maybe we buy toys and play Santa for a family we know is struggling and we know their kids won’t have much for Christmas.
Or maybe we can engage in a conversation with a lonely stranger we meet on the street or take clothes we never wear to someone who would be delighted to have them. Or maybe we help our neighbor hang their outside Christmas lights or help take them down after Christmas. Or pickup litter in a neighbors yard when we are walking in the neighborhood. Maybe we invite someone over to our home for dinner.
Or go visit a widow or widower we have known for years who we know is alone and lonely. And find something we can do to help them while we are there. Or maybe we take a gift to someone we never buy a gift for because they have been important in our lives. Maybe we leave an extra tip for the struggling waitress who is working two jobs to feed her children.
Maybe we make a point to speak kind words to someone who is being unkind to us. Or maybe we tell the people we love what they really mean to us. Maybe we even take time to write a letter and really tell them.
Maybe we just decide to make a conscious effort to be kind and practice random acts of kindness whenever we see the opportunity.
If we do, we will be rewarded with positive feelings and will be focused on the important things of life and the reason for the season. And the worlds we live in will be much nicer.
We have 18 days until Christmas.
Let’s make this the best Christmas yet.
6 comments:
I had a little man in front of me at the check-out at Publix and he was trying to decide what items to put back because he didn't have enough money. This was heart breaking to me. I put my hand on his shoulder and told him not to put anything back because I was paying the difference. He wanted to know how to send me the money and my reply was just return the favor to someone when you can. That little man left the store crying and so did I. I have been so Blessed in my life and doing things for ours is a big part of the Blessing.
I was just posting about random act of kindnesses. I like the way you thought this through.
http://sms100.blogspot.com/
Two years ago I was in an auto repair shop -mad because someone had "keyed" my car. Not wanting to walk home I asked for a ride and the shop was kind enough to provide transportation back to my house. I asked the driver if he had a nice Christmas and he said it was good but he really couldn't afford to buy his three children anything because he was in a terrible accident and his medical bills took all he had and more.
It worried me all day because I was home and there were all of these toys laying around that my son had gotten and maybe forgotten. As hard as I tried I couldn't get this sadness out of my heart. The next day I called the auto repair shop and inquired of the kids ages. From there me,my wife and my son went to Target and bought a truck load of toys and clothes. We all wrapped them and delivered them to the shop. When I opened the trunk and told the man these were his he broke down in tears. Being hispanic he couldn't speak English very well but it didn't matter because I knew exactly what he was saying and how he felt. I have never seen him again. I have had many Christmases in my life but this was one that I will never forget. My son also learned the true gift of giving. I plan on doing it again this year and for as many more years as I can. Try it sometime. It feels great.
A lady at the grocery store allowed me to get in front of her because I had one item and she had a cart full. As I checked out I bought her a candy bar and told the cashier to give it to her. I walked out but watched as the cashier explained what I had done. She looked up with the biggest smile. It may not have been the best thing to happen to her that day but it was for me.
As I read your blog I had tears in my eyes. Today my parapro,ESOL teacher, and myself will play Santa to an Hispanic neighborhood. These are families I teach. These children are so eager to learn but have none of the "pleasures" my children have. They just have each other. When we share at school they talk about how they(mom,dad,and children) sit and talk at night.Most dad's work hard and most moms are going to language school to learn to speak english.
Today I have a feeling I will experience the real reason of Christmas....giving..loving and showing Christ's love. If I don't see the smiles of the children today I will see them at school Monday during "sharing time".
This year, my roommate, Christy and I wanted to sponsor a family in need in the Los Angeles area. After being online and on the phone all day long, I finally found an organization which knew of such a family we could help.
Daisy is a single mom with four children. Robert is 3, Jeremy is 7, Anne is 14 and Cati is 20 and pregnant. Without our help, this family will have nothing this year.
So Christy and I got on the phone and called everyone we know here in LA. We decided to have a party on Monday night, asking our guests to each bring a present for this family.
So far, I've had people come up to me at work, giving me money and gifts and the trunk of my car is filled to the brim with gifts for them.
As I write this, tears are welling in my eyes. I can't wait to see the outcome of the party.
I will write an update after Monday and let you know how it goes. Say a prayer for this family.
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