This month, in the spirit of the Christmas holidays approaching, we want to encourage you to focus on the idea of Giving. Everyone loves receiving a good gift, but there’s something about the Joy that comes with Giving that we want to celebrate and emphasize this month.
“You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.” Deuteronomy 15:10
We’ve been blessed by God with divine gifts. We are called to give these gifts to others in the service of God. This season, we encourage you to do the same!
When people hear ‘Giving’, they automatically tend to assume that this means give in the form of money, and while that is a very plausible and generous form of giving, there are several other forms of giving that you can try this month!
We’d like to encourage you to consider the idea of giving this month, whether it be monetary or otherwise.
Here are five simple examples of ways you can give this month to get you started:
- Donate to a cause you’re passionate about. Donations are one of the most obvious ways you can give and are without a doubt very effective and impactful. Consider doing some research about potential organizations or causes that you could donate to in December – no donation is too small! Note – Realize Your Calling is always accepting donations as well.
- Give away items to a charity. This time of year is a great time to start cleaning out your belongings, especially clothes you no longer wear, and consider giving them to the less fortunate via Goodwill, or other charitable organizations.
- Give your time and gifts to your community. Volunteering in your parish or community is a great way to give this season, especially if you don’t have the funds or items to donate in other ways. Consider tapping into your spiritual gifts and purposes to serve this month. If you don’t know your gifts, take the first step by completing your gifts profile on Realize Your Calling,
- Purchase a toy for a child in need. December and the overall holiday season are especially hard on children who belong in families who simply don’t have the resources to provide gifts for Christmas. There are several locations, all across the United States that you can drop-off gifts to provide to the children in need.
- Perform a random act of kindness. A random act of kindness is a great way to give back this month. This can be as big as paying for the car behind you in the drive-thru, or as small as smiling at a person walking by. This form of giving is all about spreading joy.
We wish you all a very happy holiday season, and hope you are able to use some of the above examples as inspiration to give in this season.
God Bless!