It was a pretty organic post - meaning, God had tipped me off to something, and I was called to listen and act, rather than ponder. He was clear on his desire for me. So, in response, I did what I always do.
I wrote about it.
I won't rehash all I wrote. You can read it here.
Since that time, I have been playing around with a system to enable me to keep track of my goal of giving something away every day.
As my goal didn't necessarily have to do with de-cluttering my house, as much as it had to do with my giving to others out of their need (both in terms of actual possessions, abilities, and time), I still needed to find a way to track myself, without being self-glorifying in the process by sharing details.
A friend turned me on to Don't Break the Chain. A site offering a chart(s) for tracking daily progress on a particular goal(s). Complete your goal for the day, check it off. If the goal isn't completed for the day, don't check it off. Simple. To the point. No detailing the who, what, when, where, why, or how's of the goal, but rather, just one question: Did you get _________ done today? This has worked great for me.
I'm not going to be legalistic about this. In fact, I've missed 4 days of giving over the last 15 days. It's not like at the end of the day I will be knocking on my neighbor's door begging, "Please take this shirt. I don't care that it's not your style or size. I don't wear it any longer and you MUST LET ME GIVE IT TO YOU!"
Instead, I've been asking God to open my eyes to need, and to respond.
One of the ways He does this is through Freecycle. Emails come to my box daily with needs that people have for this, that, and the other. This morning before church, I checked my Freecycle emails to find a struggling family needing an appliance of which I have two. We haven't been using one of them to capacity, and this family couldn't afford one, so, no brainer. Off it's going.
It's funny, and sad, that at times we view ministry as having to be some BIG THING, when there are "small" needs all around us. Giving a meal, babysitting for a friend, passing on clothing and games, a drive home, a grocery run, and offering a big ticket appliance are just a few ways we can serve others.
Ok, yeah, I've now revealed at least one item that I've been prompted to pass along this week . . . don't get used to it.
Keep your eyes and ears open this week. And when you feel the Holy Spirit nudging you to give, don't hesitate.
Warning: it won't always be easy. It won't always be convenient. And, oops, yeah, it will call for a little sacrifice on your part.
Join me?
1 comment:
Right there with you on it. That was my week ALL. LAST. WEEK. But mine was a sacrifice of time, prayer, grieving, rejoicing, sharing in others' lives. I can't blog about it for the sake of the innocent, but I wish I could.
Some things I've learned:
"When you give to someone, they just get the stuff. You get the blessing." Joyce Meyer
However, the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 2 Samuel 24:24.
"If it's not much of a sacrifice, it's not much of an offering." Carroll Kakac, former minister at Fairfield IL First Christian Church.
:)
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