Last night I spent some time baking cookies for the staff at my husband’s office. The management team decided to fill stockings for the staff with different small goodies for each week of December. When my husband was brainstorming ideas for the stockings, I suggested that I could bake cookies and he could add them in with a few other items.
It took me longer than I thought last night, and I ended up making a second batch because I hadn’t planned things out well and was short a few cookies the first time. But it felt good to do something I knew would benefit someone else. Baking a few holiday cookies is such a small gesture in the grand scheme of things, but it reminded me of another area of growth where I could certainly put in some practice.
Giving.
So often we think of giving as it relates to money. We might give money to our church or charity or even to the guy begging on the street. But there are so many other ways to give. We can give with our time or our talents as well, and with these, the possibilities are endless.
I recently read a story of a young man who bought and tailored suits for other young men in low-income communities who didn’t have funds for a suit for job interviews. His dedication has helped thousands, as his company now provides clothing and mentoring to young men as they begin to enter the workforce.
For a time, I volunteered my time to visit with the elderly. Often these were people who had few friends or family nearby and were appreciative for someone to just sit and talk to. When I was in a college choir, we would go to different locations, including schools, nursing homes, and churches; we would always have people come up after our concerts and tell us that our singing had moved them.
Some people like being out front and center and some prefer to be behind the scenes. Some feel they can contribute most effectively with money and others with time. You can give in whatever way moves your spirit, but I think the important part is to simply find a way to give back. When we stop to look at how we can give back to our family or friends or community, we take the focus off ourselves for a few minutes and that is important. Not only does it feel good to give in service to others, but it creates a beautiful habit whereby we can contribute to making this world a better place that grows with each person we touch.
