Christmas is a wonderful time a year. A busy, busy time. A time that you have to work hard not to stretch yourself and say yes to everything. It is easy to want to fill the calendar with many wonderful traditions and get togethers. Moms are tired and stressed. Kids are thinking about all the gifts they hope to receive. Parents stress how they will pay for it.
This time of year can easily lose the joy and purpose of the season. There is nothing wrong with celebrating, giving gifts and having lots of fun. This is my favorite time of year! It is a time of year we talk about love and giving.
What kinds of things can we do to serve others? What can we do to spread love and light? We need to be the light in a dark world. I know that life is tough for so many financially right now. The economy is uncertain…everything is uncertain. But one thing still stands true…we need to love, serve, give to others. Some may not be able to give much…it is more about the attitude of the heart and it is a great way to teach our children about serving others.
Here are some ways that we can make a difference this Christmas season:
Adopt a family in need ~Pray that the Lord would show you a family in your community that needs help this year. Take them a nice meal. Buy items that are needed. Give them, especially the children, a special Christmas gift. Find out what needs they have… firewood, doctor bill overdue, having a hard time buying groceries, clothing? Consider asking another family, church or organization to help make this Christmas a special time for this family.
Help the homeless ~ It is honestly difficult to know if they people standing on the side of the road asking for help need it or not. It is hard not to wonder. But it is not my job to judge and say just go get a job. I don’t know their situation or story. But I do know that it is possible to bring a little light to their day. So, when you drive by, consider giving them a gift card to the local fast food restaurant, along with a track or Bible and a goodie bag of toiletries and snacks. Or pick up a meal and a nice cup of coffee and give it to them. Smile and tell them that God loves them.
Donate to a food panty or soup kitchen ~ When you do your grocery shopping, buy extra that you can donate to a local food panty or soup kitchen. Volunteer to serve for a few hours with your family.
Buy a meal for the person behind you in line ~ A simple way to spread some Christmas cheer is to buy the person’s meal behind you in line when you are going through a drive thru. Or if you are in a restaurant, pray and look around for someone that the Lord wants you to help. Tell the waitress you want to anonymously pay for their bill. You never know what this act of love will do for a person and perhaps they will pay it forward.
Help an older person or someone home bound ~ Know someone who can’t get out much or it is very difficult for them to do things? Offer to help clean their house, yard, take them Christmas or grocery shopping. If they aren’t able to go out, get their list and do it for them. Take time to visit with them and lift their spirits.
Surprise others with Mystery Gifts ~Know of someone who is depressed, overwhelmed and just needs a little encouragement. Or it can be for a family member, neighbor, mail carrier, UPS driver…there are lots of possibilities. Bake some goodies, get little thing they might like, buy a gift card to a favorite restaurant. You never know how a little act of love will brighten someone’s day?
Another way to make a difference this Christmas and always is to support some of these ministries:
Samaritan’s Purse
Share the true meaning of Christmas and love by helping this organization. You can donate to their ministry or you can purchase items to be gifted around the world. This is such a great ministry and is always a first responder to tragedy and problems all over the world.
Browse the Catalog with your family. Bless a family this year by choosing some of the 43 gifts wrapped with hope.
Wonder all the ways you can get involved? Learn more about what they need here or donate through the catalog.
Operation Christmas Child
A ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, they have delivered over 1 million shoeboxes and changed lives. I met Alex, one of those changed lives, at the Allume Conference this fall. You can read more about it here.
Did you know that it is NOT too late to build a shoebox? You can build one online at our community page!! This is a great activity to do with your children over Christmas to teach them about giving to others.
Compassion International
Compassion International is a ministry that is changing lives by Sponsoring a Child, but they do much more than that. They have Survival Programs for Moms and Babies, Leader Development Programs and work to meet critical needs.
Shop the catalog to make a difference.
Mercy House
Mercy House was birthed out of a passion to help others. A trip with Compassion Bloggers led the blogger at We Are That Family to start Mercy House. We raised money for them at Allume and learned more about their ministry. It is changing lives. You can be part of that by donating or purchasing items that are handmade by the girls in Kenya. I love my earrings from Mercy House! They start with helping the girls and giving them a place to live, teaching them a skill and preparing them for life. It is a wonderful vision.
Sole Hope
Did you know that a pair of shoes can change a life and you can use a pair of jeans to do that?
I first heard about this new ministry {whose headquarters in not far from where I live} at Allume this fall. I didn’t attend the shoe cutting party…there were so many wonderful opportunities that I wish I could have attended them all.
This ministry has a passion for spreading hope by creating healthier lives by providing shoes and medical help for the foot diseases they suffer from. You can help by cutting the shoes and preparing them to be sent to shoemakers {this helps to create jobs}. They will be finished and sent to the children, along with medical help and training.
Get involved and host a shoe cutting party.
How do you make a difference in someone’s life and help teach your children about giving?
