Recently, my wife and I drove to North Carolina to help with hurricane relief. We expected to serve others.
What we didn’t expect was a lesson in gratitude that would challenge our understanding of giving.
For several days, we worked at a soup kitchen and a makeshift clothes outlet housed in Phil’s BBQ’s 5,000-square-foot pavilion.
What struck me wasn’t just the volume of donations flowing in from across the country, but the quality of what people were giving.
These weren’t castoffs or leftovers – they were brand new items, price tags still attached.
New sleeping bags, youth down jackets, and pristine clothing filled the carefully organized space, making it feel more like an upscale retail store than a disaster relief center.
A couple from Harrisburg, VA arrived with a 20-foot trailer brimming with provisions. As we worked shoulder to shoulder with volunteers from various states, I found myself deeply moved by the generosity on display.
But more than that, I felt convicted. While others were giving their best, I realized I had been giving my leftovers – worn-out shoes and clothes that I no longer wanted.
This realization led me to reflect on a deeper spiritual truth. Just as these donors were giving their best to help strangers in need, God gave us His very best in His Son.
Practicing Nobility
Yet how often do we respond with leftover time, leftover energy, and leftover resources?
Aesop wisely said, “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.”
True gratitude doesn’t just acknowledge what we’ve received – it transforms how we give. It turns what we have into enough and inspires us to share our best, not our leftovers.
This Thanksgiving season, I encourage us all to embrace this noble practice of gratitude that transforms our giving.
Let’s not just be thankful for what we have received, but let that gratitude transform how we give.
Consider:
Are we giving our best or our leftovers?
How can our businesses become vehicles for blessing others?
What would it look like to let gratitude guide our giving?
I am inviting you to join me in practicing active gratitude – not just in words, but in how we give our time, resources, and talents to others.
True gratitude isn’t just about being thankful for what we have; it’s about being moved to give our very best in return.
Remember, gratitude turns what we have into enough, but more importantly, it turns us into people who give enough – our best, not our leftovers.
The results will make you happy: The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. Proverbs 11:25
Gratitude marries your thanks with your giving.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Harry T. Jones
Opmerkingen