Tis Better to Give than to Receive
We’ve all heard that phrase so often, it’s almost a cliché. But especially this time of year, I believe it should be the cliché that guides our actions. Yet we get caught up in our “Christmas wish list” of all the things WE want, or on finding the perfect gift for the loved one who “has everything.”
Instead of giving more to someone who has plenty and then some, why not direct our giving to those who need it most? The latest Census figures are proof that there are plenty in need, including some 16 million children living in poverty in the United States. 16 million. 60 Minutes this weekend did a story on this sad statistic, and found children living in cars with their parents in Central Florida. Children living in cars?!? This is unacceptable in a country that, on the flipside, has so much wealth and excess.
Driving home late Thanksgiving night from dinner with friends, the roads were already busy with shoppers lining up for midnight “DoorBuster Sales.” The parking lots of big-box discount stores were packed. Maybe some of these shoppers were buying presents for families in need or foster children. But more likely, they were mostly buying more stuff for friends and loved ones who already have plenty of stuff.
This season, I challenge each of you reading this to do something different. Do more. Yes, buy presents for your loved ones and close friends. But set aside part of your holiday shopping budget to do something for a stranger who really needs it. I promise, your heart and spirit will be brighter as a result.
The best feeling I had on Thanksgiving was not stuffing myself with turkey and pie that night. It came early in the morning, when I dropped off a huge green bean casserole for my church’s Meals on Wheels delivery to 1,300 area elderly residents and picked up a Christmas Angel card with a young girl’s Christmas wish list.
I don’t know her, but she wants a Tickle Me Elmo and a matching set of hat and mittens, and I will make sure she gets it. I have a feeling it will be the best gift I buy this year.
Because it really is better to give than to receive, especially to someone who truly needs it.
Matthew 25:45 NLT: ““And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’”
Tags: 60 Minutes, Central Florida, Christmas, Door Buster Sales, Holidays, homeless children, Poverty, Thanksgiving