the Christmas spirit of Giving

So its the Christmas holidays and everyone is shopping, giving, serving and helping left right and centre. People like giving food to local charities, giving food to the poor and homeless and good stuff like that. Walking around Toronto, you can definitely see that stuff on Christmas eve.

The question is... have you really thought about why you give? What motivates you to help others who need it?

Is it because you want to do a good deed this Christmas? or you have extra change lying around the house that you can spare? Or are you required to give that 10% tithing at the end of the year? Or maybe its just the Christmas spirit pushing you to give to others.

For me, because i feel like ive been so blessed in my life, i cant help but want to give back. I mean, ive done nothing to deserve anything that I have and gone through, but yet, im here and im living out my life with all the things ive been blessed with. I remember a pastor saying that We are blessed to be blessed in this world. Which means that God has blessed us so greatly that we can in turn use this blessing and go out and bless others through our good works, through how we live our lives, through kindness and compassion.

There are many things we can give... not just material goods. We can take a couple hours out of our life give out hot chocolate to the homeless people, to have a coffee and chat with someone who could use someone to talk to, maybe even a little smile will make someone's day or a simple thank you.

I always like to say... and ive seen this in action.. that something small to you may be a huge blessing for another person... so the challenge here is to reflect on why do YOU give? Look deep down inside and think about why you actually give and not just say because it feels good to give... why does it feel good to give? I believe that in order to help ourselves grow, we need to constantly challenge ourselves and ask why and take some time out of our busy schedules to reflect. To reflect about our past, our experience, our "stories" and think about things like how we became a person who likes to give. And maybe after you read this blog... go out and do small good deed... even saying merry christmas or give an encouraging quote or your favourite passage to a friend (since christmas day is almost over ... its 9 30 pm) and see how it goes for you and if you re lucky, you'll see if it brightens up that person's day