Thoughts roll around in my head as I'm reading this verse and then even more so when I've finished. We've just come through the "giving" season once again and some of us are disappointed, feel unloved or even unfinished. Maybe we didn't give as much as we wanted to, maybe we didn't receive as much as we felt we deserved and maybe some of us are still waiting for that "delivered by 12/24" gift to arrive. We've maxed out our credit cards for "one more gift" and tremble with fear as we look at the balance. We open our bank statements and shudder. Where did all our money go? What were we thinking?
Charity does not mean money. Charity and love are interchangeable words. Both are the translation for "agape". It's a state of mind; a mentality of kindness and benevolence. Without charity, without love, we are nothing. We don't do to be recognized for what we've done. We do for others because it is the right thing to do. Being charitable is how we show love for others. Giving because it needs to be given. Doing because it needs to be done.
Charity does begin at home...at home in your heart, not your wallet. It is not limited to those who have done good things for you, it encompasses those who have not. It's a reflection of God's love. It is the change made by living for Christ! It is a blessing that is paid forward by being compassionate and understanding. Sometimes charity is money, but most often it is caring for others, praying for others and helping those less fortunate than you. It's taking a meal to the widow on your block. It's helping that stranger struggling with her 2 small children and groceries. It's helping to make someone's struggle a little less overwhelming. And yes, sometimes it's a bouquet of flowers or helping to pay a bill.
Take this opportunity to show a little charity. Do a little something for someone you know who could use it. Do something for someone you don't know. That Christmas feeling of giving will remain in your heart and you will keep the spirit of Christmas alive in your life each and every day!
