I Hope You Give more than You Get

The Christmas season is upon us! In exactly eight days, everyone in the nation will be singing Christmas carols or hearing them, cooking a feast or eating it, giving gifts or getting them. This is a season of happiness and peace, a season in which even the most miserly Scrooge opens his shutters and buys his clerk a turkey. We happily grant things to those with less fortune than ourselves, even if that simply means our best friend in a lesser situation or even our children who do not earn any money. We are consumed with a fire of charity and giving.

Or are we?

For some, perhaps,  the above paragraph is true. Giving really is more important to them than receiving. But others are more consumed with their own fast-paced American lives than with a "fire of charity and giving". Has buying presents become simply a chore for us to get done, another thing on our holiday to-do list? Do we expect to be happy when we receive gifts ourselves instead of simply being content with the smile on a child's face, or on an elder's, or even on a stranger's?

Ben Carson, a prominent surgeon and a candidate for presidency, says that, "Happiness doesn't result from what we get, but from what we give." This is and has always been absolutely true. Everyone knows that giving makes you feel good. But it shouldn't be about that. We shouldn't give because it makes us feel happy. We should give because it will make someone else feel happy.

This year, Glade, the candle company, aired a commercial that illustrates this idea of giving perfectly. It features an elderly man sitting alone in his darkened house, among his neighbors' festive and bright homes. He looks around at pictures of holidays past, of him and his wife together, and then he drives off in his car. While lighting a Glade candle in her window, the man's neighbor notices his dark house. She takes down her own Christmas lights and hangs them on his house for him to discover when he returns. It is really a beautiful picture of giving in a completely selfless way. I've included the extended version in my post; take a look:

 

 

Look at the way the old man's face lights up, literally, when he sees the strand of brightly colored bulbs hanging from his porch. And look at the joy on the young woman's face as she shares in his happiness. That's what I'm talking about. That's what Christmas is about. It's about sharing, giving, unity. Making someone else happy. What did this woman get in return for her kindness? Nothing, not even the credit for doing it.

 

Sharing.

 

Giving.

 

Unity.

 

This year, when you buy your last-minute Christmas gifts, try to think of it that way instead of  cursing yourself for procrastinating. After all, what is the real meaning of Christmas? What, surely you've heard! We celebrate God's sharing, merciful spirit when he gave us His son on that beautiful night, so that one day, we all might be forgiven and united with Him. I think our giving to each other should be a picture of what happened on that night, when God loved us so much that he gave us his only son, so that "whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)". That's the Christmas spirit. That's giving, people! And I hope you always remember to give more than you get, not for yourself, but for others.

 

Merry Christmas!  

 



I Hope You Always Find A Reason To Smile

Welcome back, all you fearless optimists and absolute romantics!

The other day, I drove my grandmother and my great-grandmother to my grandmother's dentist, who's office is about an hour from our house. I didn't really want to drive for an hour just to wait around for her to finish getting her tooth yanked from her mouth, and I didn't want to drag my great-grandmother all around New Hampshire because she was sure to get grumpy and stubborn before too long, but I did it anyway because I had to keep up my appearance as a faithful granddaughter. Yep, that's me. Miss Wonderful. Anyway, when we got there, we trudged up the stairs to the tiny waiting room and flipped open well-worn magazines about sports or famous people. I was fully expecting to be bored out of my mind.

But then the receptionist looked up at me and, smiling, said, "Just let us know if we can do anything for you!" And I was really impressed. As I sat through the hour I spent in that waiting room, I watched as she greeted every new patient by name, with a friendly smile and a twinkle in her eye.

I don't think a lot of people are really like that anymore. She could have just been having a really, really good day, but I think that she just was a pleasant person and had decided that she wasn't going to be the kind of secretary who stares at her screen, checks you in, adjusts her glasses, and stares back at her screen. Saying "hi!" and being friendly can have a big impact on people, and I'm pretty sure she realized that.

"Saying 'Hi!' and being friendly can have a big impact on people."

I went home that day thinking about her. A simple smile got me thinking all day. For the record, I was still bored, but at least I had something interesting to contemplate. I don't even know her name, but I was moved by something she'd done that she probably didn't even think about. How could this change the world, some skeptics may inquire. Well, of them I question: what would the world be like if everyone could find a reason to smile at each other?

"There's Some Good in this World...and it's Worth Fighting For."

 

In the world we live in today, hopelessness is around every corner. Multiple locks adorn every door. Disease and desperation are creeping up on us from every side. Every time you turn on the TV it seems like something tragic is being broadcasted on the news: medics assisting wounded from wrecked cars or burning buildings, or police apprehending some kind of gunman or bomber. Some people try to argue against injustices by taking the law into their own hands, rallying or mobbing or even sometimes shooting, but you can't fight fire with fire. You can't fight hopelessness with desperation. The only thing that will fight fire is water, and the only thing that will counter hopelessness is hope.




"It is the man who gives his coffee to the homeless."

Despite being a broken, sinful race, we humans are capable of goodness: acts of generosity or kindness that can touch hearts, and if enough hearts are touched, a single person can change the course of the world. Or at least the culture of humanity as we see it now. And it is this part of us, this goodness, that can be the healing water to Satan's fire. It isn't the Superman that will do the most against the wretchedness of the world. It is the man who gives his coffee to the homeless. It is the woman who pays for the car behind her at the drive-through. It's the teen who opens a door for the elderly, the child who puts a quarter in the church offering plate, and the boss who thanks the janitor. And it is these bits of good, these people whose actions touch us somehow, that we are fighting for. These people give us hope. They give us courage. And they give us the strength to imitate them and, in our way, to make a difference against the violent and turbulent world.

But how will we gain this courage and strength if we do not know about the steps that others take for good? How can we be inspired if we aren't aware of the generous child, the thoughtful woman, or the kind teenager? It is only the very rare occasion when the story like that makes the news. And that's why I have created this blog: to share the stories of the good people and to see if, by inspiring others, they can't make a dent in the problems of today.

"As for me, I will always have hope (Psalm 71:14)." I know that the planet we live on is a dark, dark place. I know that nothing we do, really, is ever going to change that. I don't believe in an earthly utopia. But the things we do for each other can show others, and ourselves, that there is hope. That, as Sam told Frodo, "There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for." I wholeheartedly believe that.