Summertime Gifts

Compassion for the poor – what a blessing! – Proverbs 14:21 (MSG)

As a little girl, I remember my mom always buying extra Thanksgiving turkeys.  We’d load them into the family van and deliver them around downtown Indianapolis.   At each apartment building, we’d carry the turkey up to the front door and knock.  As I anxiously waited for a complete stranger to answer, my childish eyes would dart from side to side, and up and down. 

I’d often see missing floorboards, busted up bikes, peeling paint, cracked plastic chairs, and piles of discarded cardboard.  I wondered why we lived so differently.  But then the front door would swing wide open and I’d lock eyes with a thankful mother or father.  Smiles of gratitude, and sometimes even hugs of joy, were shared in celebration of the gift.  I’d walk back to the van with a heart overflowing with joy.

Those acts of compassion and giving to the poor left imprints upon my soul.  I am forever thankful that my mom had the courage to drive into the run-down parts of the city and deliver joy to families we’d never see again.  

I didn’t know it then, but when we act on our compassion for the poor and give with a generous heart, we are the ones blessed beyond measure.  

• Proverbs 14:31 tells us that, whoever is kind to the needy honors God.  

• 1 John 3:17 states that if anyone has material possession and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?  So let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

It’s more common for people to think of giving generously around Thanksgiving.  But in the summer, our lives take on a different pace and the weather calls us to vacation and relax.  God reminds us in Proverbs 14 that the poor are still in need.

What if you spent a moment with God asking Him who you could give to or serve this summer?  God will surely bring someone to mind.  Could you:

• Fill a small cooler in your car with water bottles to pass out to homeless people you see on a street corner in the heat of the day?

• Sign up to volunteer for a non-profit organization to help with the summer lull in staffing?

• Shop for a cause by skipping a dinner out and buying canned goods for a food shelf instead?

Ask God to move your heart for the poor, then step out in faith.  When you sense a nudge to give, give.  When you see someone in need, give.  When you do, you will be honoring God and will be blessed beyond measure with love and joy. 

If you take this giving challenge, write to me and let me know how you were moved and how God met you in your giving.  laura@3oclockwakeup.com

I’d love to hear your stories!

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

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