Giving Out not Giving Up
Yesterday I talked about giving something up for Lent. Today I want to talk about flipping that on its head, and giving something for Lent instead. That could take many different forms.
It may be that you can physically give something to someone. You could give gifts, or a cup of coffee, for example, however, it could be something that doesn't cost money. You could give out kind words, or give your time.
Now most of us find it easy to do things for those whom we love, even to some extent, those we don't know when we donate to charity, for instance. But how easy is it to help those we don't actually like very much?
Perhaps you could think about how you could bring some sunshine into someone's life. It could be an anonymous, encouraging note, or a kind word, giving up your seat on the bus or train, letting someone go ahead of you in a shopping queue. The possibilities are as endless and as varied as the people we meet.
As is says in Matthew 25: 31 - 46, there will come a day when we are called to account for what we did or didn't do with our lives. Do we want to stand before God and have Him say that we rejected Him and so have Him reject us?
45 “He will reply,
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these,
you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” BibleGateway.com
Food for thought, perhaps? As with giving up things with the right motive for Lent, we should also give with the right motives. It is not good enough for us to give just for our own reward; in this life, or the next. We need to give generously from our heart.
Find your way.
Photo by Tom Parsons on Unsplash
