Giving means a lot to the Colonel and I. We have been blessed with a lot through the giving of others and we think that it's important to us to pass that on. It is also extremely important that our children grow up knowing how to give from the heart. When we read the chapter on giving it was discouraging. Trying to decrease our debt and take care of our children leaves very, very little for giving. Then there is the issue of where to give. There are so many places and ways to give. With the economy the way it is there are even more in need. Here is a little diagram of our giving philosophy:
We start with our family members, doing for them what we can. Especially those that are disabled or on a fixed income. Next we try to give back to the people and organizations that have significantly blessed or positively changed our lives in some way. Next is giving to the needy in our own state, then our own country and finally to the other countries of the world. Everyone's heart is pulled in a different direction when it comes to giving and it is important to give in the direction your heart leads.
Finally, came the dilemma of how to give. Fortunately I love a challenge. I prayed, kept my eyes and heart open, and walked through the doors as they opened. Shortly after we would walk through one door, another would open. We would go through that one and another would open and so on and so forth. Through all of this we have learned that where there is a will , there is a way. If your heart is truly in it for the right reason - to bless someone else and meet their need, not to draw attention to yourself or get any kind of personal gain. On that note giving for the right reason we have found that giving does leave a real sense of joy in our hearts. We have also found that if you are willing to chance it and take that first step, then giving on a budget is actually quite easy.
In our next post we will talk about 3 ways to give we were actually throwing away.
No comments:
Post a Comment