Build new family traditions.
This post is going to seem immensely practical, and it is. I am not trying to uncover some deep truth or come up with some witty philosophy. If we read the Scriptures, we will see countless times we are to take care of the poor among us. Check out the Gospel’s as well as 1 Tim 5. These should be enough to stir things in your heart to help others.
I am guilty.
I would rather have an iPod Touch and a $4 peppermint mocha than help those in need. I think most of us want Play Stations and nice cars more than we want to glorify Christ and help others. We can explain it away all we want, but if I asked you to sell your prized gadget, flat screen TV, or video game system to help the poor, would you? Reality says, most of us would not.
After all, Why should I change?
One reason is, I have a family. I have two boys who look up to me. If they see daddy as someone who always gets what he wants, they will emulate this. If we treat Christmas and the holidays as a gluttonous, gift receiving extravaganza, than that is all my boys will ever know. I don’t want that. I want them to love others and for them to not be selfish. I don’t want them to be like me. I pray they have a heart for those in need and a willingness to sacrifice wants and comforts to help them.
What can we do to help others instead of ourselves?
There are many things we can do to help those in need and to get our focus off of ourselves. I have made a list of ideas I want to try over the holiday season (Thanksgiving to New Years).
- Serve a Thanksgiving dinner to a family who is in need. This means buying, cooking, and delivering the food with my kids. (Ok, maybe not the cooking part so much, they are pretty young).
- Serve at a shelter several times over the next two months.
- Donate canned foods to a shelter or church.
- Sell something of value and buy gifts for needy children.
- Donate blankets and coats to families in need.
Want to help?
I like to present things as a challenge to others. Many of you have already thought of how you might give more or help others this winter. That is all well and good. But if not, why not join in the fun? In the comments, leave your ideas or how you plan on helping those less fortunate than you this year. If you live in my area, let me know if you and your family would like to partner with us on our adventures.If you have a creative idea on how we can help and reach more people, leave those in the comments as well.
-Don-
I was just thinking: maybe I can help people by letting them know how much I want an iPod touch… just sayin… lol
Seriously though, I love the idea of just inviting someone over for dinner who may not be able to feed their family a meal, or who may not have a family to celebrate it with. I have not done this yet, simply because I haven't known anyone who doesn't have a family, or who couldn't afford a meal. But I think it would be neat.
This Saturday I am going out with my church to deliver some thanksgiving baskets. I can't wait! I hope we get to pray for some folks and share the gospel with them.
You cannot have an iPod touch. Only I can.
Last year for Christmas we got Kurt's 9 year old son a basketball, we also bought basketballs for children in poverty through World Vision. (http://www.worldvision.org) They send cards with each gift and we included that in with his basketball, so he could see that children went with a lot less than a Nintendo DS.
I really liked this idea I read on someone's blog through Compassion (where we sponsor our child through http://www.compassion.com) , they had two children 7 and 10. They sponsored children the same ages of their children as gifts for Christmas one year and nothing else. The children grew up writing to these children who were so much worse off then they were. The woman said that two years later when anyone asked the kids what they wanted for Christmas, they told people they were blessed and only wanted to be able to send their "kids" presents.
That is awesome!
I love the World Vision and Compassion gift catalogs. We have donated to them in the past. What I am hoping for this year is to help out locally. We have a 22% poverty rate in our city