Giving

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how I'm always thanking God for all the blessings He has given us, and how the Bible tells us that the more we are blessed with, the more we should give. And several noble examples of generosity come to mind: My grandmother, Mimi, used to take me along to a retirement home when I was little, so we could help the staff care for the patients and bring goodies for everybody. Sam's sister, Amanda, has done amazing volunteer work with her church to help others: mission trips, rebuilding efforts... It's quite inspiring to "see" people wanting to help others.

As Thanksgiving gets closer, I'm feeling so giddy to be able to help with the food drives taking place around town. Last year Sam and I donated food and volunteered to deliver food baskets to families in need, and the experience was touching and sad at the same time. We got to see a side of this town that not too many people get to see: broken down houses with no front doors, kids with big smiles on their faces, thrilled to see food... it brought tears to my eyes. All it took was little over one hour of our time to help bring a few smiles to people's faces. Sometimes I feel like that's not enough though. It took such little effort to do that! Today's Bible reading (Mark 12:41-44) tells us how Jesus explained to his disciples that the widow who contributed only a few coins to the treasury "has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

I pray that Jesus fills my heart with a desire to serve others, to not let me forget that it's not only about thanking Him for his infinite generosity, but to mirror myself in Him and give myself to help.