A friend of mine was raised in Gallup, New Mexico in a one room shack with dirt floors. Every year for Christmas, she and her brother received a pair of new shoes. It was their tradition to take their other pair of shoes from the previous year and, on Christmas day, set off into the streets of Gallup to bless the poor with a pair of shoes for Christmas. As a child, she had no idea her family was poor because they had a tradition of blessing those less fortunate with their abundance; a single pair of shoes.

This year practice the joy of simple abundance. Assess the blessings you have received in 2010 and pay similar blessings forward to others. If you received a new sweater this Christmas, find a sweater (or two) to give to the thrift store for battered women. Did the kids get a gaggle of new toys? Take the opportunity to teach them generosity by having them select a few of their own toys still in good condition to give to children staying at Joy Junction, the local homeless shelter. Did someone provide for you in a practical way? Perhaps you can provide toilet paper or even feminine hygiene products to various shelters. Ask the Lord to show you how to be a blessing right now, and as the Nike advertisement says, "Just do it!" Make 2011 the year of Kindness Toward Others!

Holly Slade

Comments (0) Submit a Comment

There are currently no comments for this article.