Go Beyond

Earlier this month, I posted a blog entitled New Christmas Paradigm while en route to Cambodia. In that blog I stated that this Christmas, Cheryl and I are giving each of our kids a sum of money to be used solely for the purpose of helping people in need. By the time I returned home from Cambodia on Sunday evening, our oldest daughter told me that she already knows who she will help. Niki wasted no time in finding a need and making a list of things she will purchase to help a single mother and her child. Today, Gina, our youngest daughter, shared with me that she also knows how she will divide the funds that we give her in order to bless others. We have asked our three kids to share their stories with our extended family on Christmas Eve. I can’t wait to hear what they will share.

Keep in mind that you do not have to give or spend money in order to bless others. Consider how you can give of yourself. There are lots of practical things that you can do to help others without spending a dime. As I was thinking about what we have asked our kids to do, I listed some of the benefits of challenging them to help others this Christmas. Here are a few of the things I jotted down.

Tune Your Hearing | The Christmas Challenge will force you to listen more intentionally to others. We can easily miss obvious clues that others are in pain or in need when we fail to listen to what they are saying. We need to intentionally slow down and tune in to the frequency of pain and need. If we will listen carefully we will become aware of needs that we can fill.

Sharpen Your Vision | The Christmas Challenge can sharpen your vision. Look at the world around you through new eyes. Do not overlook those who live in the blurry world of your peripheral vision because that is where many people in pain and in need reside. Ask God to help you to see people clearly.

Open Your Heart | The Christmas Challenge can lead you to open your heart. An open heart is essential to meeting the needs of others. Ask God to break your heart for what breaks His and then ask Him to reveal to you what you can do to help bring healing to the hurting.

Extend Your Hand | The Christmas Challenge must result in practical action to help others. It’s not enough to watch from a sterile distance or to hope that someone else will lift a finger to help. God is calling each of us to get personally involved in the lives of those who are hurting, disenfranchised, suffering, and in pain.

Quicken Your Steps | The Christmas challenge will cause you to quicken your steps. Once you have identified a need, don’t sit around. Act intentionally, responsibly, and in a timely manner. Take whatever steps are necessary in order to respond to the needs of others in a timely and compassionate manner.

It’s not too late to challenge your family to focus on helping others this Christmas. Be intentional about your Christmas gift list. Ask yourself if you really need to give or receive particular items. Redirect money that you would have spent on yourself to help others instead. And, get your kids involved. Don’t underestimate what God can do through your young children. He can use even the youngest kids to make a big difference. Talk with your kids. Help them to process information about how to help others. Affirm them and then help them to meet needs that they have identified. Interact in a loving and Christ-like way with those around you. Make this your best Christmas ever by doing something to bless others in our community.