No Place for the Grinch - Pt 2

Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. (Luke 6:37-38 ESV).

Remember, we are working toward the goal of banishing the Grinch from our Christmas season. The first, step is to be generous. It is a wonderful embedded truth that the little book by Dr. Seuss brings to the forefront. Generous giving out of a change in heart does produce a wonderful peace and contentment. So, if you are going to brave the crowded malls this season, then shop with the recipient in mind. Most of us really don’t need anything. But loving generosity is a beautiful thing, and God loves it if it is fueled by faith. Braving the overcrowded stores and long lines in order to take advantage of sales that enable you to be more generous with others, possibly to get that one thoughtful gift that will bring someone else unique joy is a great reason to shop during this season; however, make it an act of love in Jesus’ name, which makes it an act of worship. Now, some of you are already thinking I’m crazy. However, this is the story of the early church. They weren’t merely givers, they were generous givers. It has been a while since my boys were children, however one experience is still fondly remembered from those days. When we lived in Tyler, Texas, I was president of the Rose City Kiwanis Club for a year. One of the many service projects was the coordination, collection, and distribution of a food drive for people at Christmas. We collected thousands of pounds of food and other staples, divided them into boxes, and delivered them to people who either could afford it, or were too ill to get out and buy it. That year I decided to take my boys with me to make the deliveries I was assigned. We went into different homes that day. Some of the people were older and very ill. One older woman lived in a large home, though she was confined to one room at the front of her home. She was nearly bedfast and too poor to heat the rest of the house. We were invited in and took the groceries into her room, putting them on a small shelf near her bedside. She was so grateful. We visited just a bit and the boys were stunned to hear her story. It was one of repeated illness and abandonment from her family. Her husband had died much earlier leaving her with very little other than her house. Her children has left and gotten too “busy” to even call during the holidays. She felt alone and forgotten. At the end of the visit we had prayer together and said our goodbyes. She had tears in her eyes as she lay waving us out the door, simply saying, “Merry Christmas! I hope you boys get everything you want from Santa.” They were quiet along the way to the next home, at least until Kyle said, “Maybe we need to start checking on her after Christmas.” I agreed and did go by regularly, sometimes with them and other times without. More than anything, it taught us generosity with our time, talent, and resources. Our hearts grew three times that year!