Day 1: Giving (Defined as Sacrificial Love)
"Jesus offered himself as a living sacrifice..." (Ephesians 5:2, paraphrased)
If I were asked to describe Jesus in only two words, l think I'd go with "sacrificial love." Certainly mercy, grace, Emmanuel, full life, set free and eternal hope might be close seconds, but really, none of these are possible without sacrificial love. So first things first. Sacrificial love it is.
When our daughter was born, we decided we wanted to start a Christmas tradition of giving. Having a generous heart and caring for others by meeting their needs are things we prioritize highly in our family.
So, we decided to take a tag off the sharing tree at church, and buy sheets for a family in need. She went with us to Target, helped pick the sheets out, and actually threw a second pair of sheets into the cart too. I'm not sure she knew what she was doing, but we liked the spirit of generosity, and gave the family two sheet sets that year. We've done something similar every year since then.
But as we planned for this Christmas, something stuck out in my heart about the way we were giving. It was simple, which I'm all for. It was sustainable, and we've been able to keep it up year after year. But it wasn't sacrificial, not remotely. Not a single one of us in the family was doing without anything to make that possible.
This year in 2015 we are defining giving as sacrificial love. I'm not sure how we're going to do it yet, but we're starting today. Maybe we'll pick a more expensive gift off the sharing tree in 12 months- one that will cost in a way that we'll need to limit some of our other Christmas spending. Or maybe we'll give away something that is ours in order for others to have it.
Today has been a busy day and we haven't had a chance yet to discuss this as a family- and I want us to be all in for it and not being "forced to give" just because one of us thinks this is the right thing to do. This is about giving out of sacrificial love not "sacrifice by force," after all.
But one thing I know for sure on this journey of leading our kids toward Jesus is that the best way to lead is by example. So for today, I'm taking a small step on my own. I have a friend who needs a new wheelchair. Today, I'm going to take a dress I love to the consignment store and whatever they will give me for it I will contribute to the wheelchair fund. I'm taking my daughter with me, but I don't think I'm going to give her a speech about giving on the way there or anything dramatic- because I don't want this to be some special thing, but rather just a normal thing. I want giving and sacrificial love to be a way of life. Ironically, I think we unlearn sacrificial love as we grow up, so I wouldn't be surprised if my daughter beats me to the punch and gives to the wheelchair fund too- but if she does it won't because she has to but because she chooses to do so. Giving. Defined as sacrificial love. Day 1 is my favorite so far!
If I were asked to describe Jesus in only two words, l think I'd go with "sacrificial love." Certainly mercy, grace, Emmanuel, full life, set free and eternal hope might be close seconds, but really, none of these are possible without sacrificial love. So first things first. Sacrificial love it is.
When our daughter was born, we decided we wanted to start a Christmas tradition of giving. Having a generous heart and caring for others by meeting their needs are things we prioritize highly in our family.
So, we decided to take a tag off the sharing tree at church, and buy sheets for a family in need. She went with us to Target, helped pick the sheets out, and actually threw a second pair of sheets into the cart too. I'm not sure she knew what she was doing, but we liked the spirit of generosity, and gave the family two sheet sets that year. We've done something similar every year since then.
But as we planned for this Christmas, something stuck out in my heart about the way we were giving. It was simple, which I'm all for. It was sustainable, and we've been able to keep it up year after year. But it wasn't sacrificial, not remotely. Not a single one of us in the family was doing without anything to make that possible.
This year in 2015 we are defining giving as sacrificial love. I'm not sure how we're going to do it yet, but we're starting today. Maybe we'll pick a more expensive gift off the sharing tree in 12 months- one that will cost in a way that we'll need to limit some of our other Christmas spending. Or maybe we'll give away something that is ours in order for others to have it.
Today has been a busy day and we haven't had a chance yet to discuss this as a family- and I want us to be all in for it and not being "forced to give" just because one of us thinks this is the right thing to do. This is about giving out of sacrificial love not "sacrifice by force," after all.
But one thing I know for sure on this journey of leading our kids toward Jesus is that the best way to lead is by example. So for today, I'm taking a small step on my own. I have a friend who needs a new wheelchair. Today, I'm going to take a dress I love to the consignment store and whatever they will give me for it I will contribute to the wheelchair fund. I'm taking my daughter with me, but I don't think I'm going to give her a speech about giving on the way there or anything dramatic- because I don't want this to be some special thing, but rather just a normal thing. I want giving and sacrificial love to be a way of life. Ironically, I think we unlearn sacrificial love as we grow up, so I wouldn't be surprised if my daughter beats me to the punch and gives to the wheelchair fund too- but if she does it won't because she has to but because she chooses to do so. Giving. Defined as sacrificial love. Day 1 is my favorite so far!
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