The Christmas season reminds me of how many more ways there are to love and give to others than I normally do. I consider myself a giving person, but there are infinite ways in which I can give more.
Giving always returns to you ten-fold, but why are we so often hestitant to give whole-heartedly? I am talking about giving of all types: emotional giving, material giving, and physical giving . Everything we do external of ourselves has the power to affect others significantly, but how often do we maximize this ability to postively impact the lives of others? Never underestimate the power of a thoughtfully hand-written card, a hug or a kind word. Also, giving to Toys for Tots, the Red Cross, Generosity Water, The Smile Train or an agency like Compassion does much more than our cynicism allows us to believe it does. Your efforts, no matter how large or small, at giving are much more than a drop in the bucket, for it is in the solidarity of giving that oceans are moved.
If you are online and able to read this blog, you are one of the wealthiest people in the world. We are among the wealthiest, but what do we do with our wealth? We are among the healthiest, but what do we do with our health? The more I think about these questions, the more I am moved to do more. I hope you are too.
I want to be the type of person where giving is so engrained in my nature that I never have to question if I have the time, money or desire to give more. I want to ooze love. I want my love to be not only for those whom I encounter on a day-to-day basis, but I want to love the forgotten, the far-away and the ones who don’t yet know what hope is.
As you give to your family and friends this Christmas season, I challenge you to end the season and start 2011 with a true determination to act upon your compassion in greater, larger ways than you ever have before. The world needs you.