Most of us have a favorite charity or cause that we are passionate about. Some of us may spend weekends volunteering for a certain organization or helping those who are elderly, homeless, or are teenagers. This desire to help may come from a previous experience with a certain population, from being helped by another individual, or from having once been a person in a similar situation
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Luke 6:38
I remember growing up and watching my mother volunteer and donate to a food pantry in our neighborhood. She often dragged us there, where we would spend Saturday mornings feeding the poor and homeless. During the holidays she always encouraged others to donate to that specific food pantry.
Growing up I didn’t understand the value of giving money or time to a cause. Later in life, when my parents didn’t have enough money to pay for food they too went to the food pantry my mother had spent years volunteering at and donating to. In fact, the workers there were delighted to help. They asked us what we needed, offered more than food, and checked on us regularly until my parents had gotten back on their feet.
It was this act of service that taught me how important it is to give. How by giving you could reap the benefits of the seed you had sown. I wondered later on what would have happened if my mother hadn’t taken the time volunteer or fundraise for the food pantry, if she had not built relationships with the workers and the individuals that came there for food. I thought of the support they gave us and realized that they truly were helping us live. That through God they had become our community and cared for our wellbeing the same way my mother had cared for so many there.
There are various reasons why we give. It may be to give back to our community, sow a seed, or because we too have been on the receiving end. By giving we too can live. As Christians we become disciples, caring for others the way Jesus did. By giving, we extend the gratitude that has been given to us, in the process sharing the joy of knowing Christ as our Savior.
We Want to Know:
How do you give back?
How has giving helped you to live?
