Both late last night and into the early morning today, I was really struggling to decide whether or not to follow along with some other folks and ditch the line of 2-3 hundred (so 200-300) holiday shoppers who were trying to save a few bucks on some Black Friday deals.
While every other person didn't feel like standing in line forever and were betting on Cyber Monday from their Lazy-Boy recliners at home, the rest of us patient and cheap shopping warriors stood our ground for anywhere from 15 minutes to an entire hour of waiting, just to get a few bucks knocked off of each item we had in our baskets, or shopping carts for others.
After spending double to triple digits on whatever I was buying, I left the store to hear the ringing of the bells, to which I (on purpose) entered from the other door to avoid said bell.
This time, I left the other way, walked by the bell, and emptied out the spare change of what was most likely less than $2 clinking at the bottom of the red metal bucket, knowing it didn't hit a single dollar bill on the way down.
"Thank you so much, kind and generous sir! You're a true blessing! May God bless you greatly this Christmas season!" Those were some of the words of the older gentleman who had been ringing the bell for well over an hour and a half while I was in the store. The same guy, same jolly spirit, and didn't fake a single bit of his joy.
All I could think about was how freaking spoiled I was to have spent more than I knew I should've on gifts for both my spoiled rotten family and also included of course, myself. And this man, whoever he was, standing without a grudge on his face about the frost in his beard or the fact that he could probably use a coffee and a chair, told me that God was going to bless ME, even thought I felt like God's already blessed me, and I had just blessed myself in the store.
I felt like I was going to fill up some hearts in my family and fill my own heart with some new blankets and Xbox games, when there are so many people both around the world and in our own towns that have never even owned a game console in their life, and some without beds in their lives. Yet, there I was, giving less than a dollar to those around me, thinking to myself "This will do, now I'm going to get some Starbucks," and not standing and thinking for a second how ungrateful I was and am for what has been done for me to be where I'm at in my life.
1 Chronicles 16:34
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”
For starters, I'm richer than 75% of the entire world because I have food in the fridge and I ate plenty of it yesterday, I have clothes on my back, clothes in my closet, and I buy a new pair of shoes every 3-4 months, along with the fact that I also have a roof over my head to sleep every single night. Chances are, you're on the same boat, congrats.
75% of the entire world, over 5,647,500,000, fight every day to have food, clothes, and a place to stay.
If you are reading this, you and I both are luckier than 1 billion (1,000,000,000) other people in the world that may never have that privilege of eye sight. Yes, it's a privilege.
I can go to church every Sunday, regardless of whether or not I'm accounted for in the attendance of the congregation, and I'm luckier than the 3 billion other people in the world that cannot do that.
I also am not only among the top 25% when it comes to wealth because I have spare change in my coat pocket, 2 bank accounts, and so much more.
I go to a private college that costs just under a quarter of a million to attend over the 4 years I'll be there.
While this all may sound like bragging, it's just straight up statistics, and I'm embarrassed to think I only gave so little to a charity because I don't think I'll have money after graduating from college with a degree that will give me more money that I'll ever truly need to live a wonderful life.
2 Corinthians 4:15
“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”
Our society has been and continues to ignore the fact that our world is going to constantly be bringing "new deals" and "unbeatable prices" to our front door in a sales ad and more conveniently, an ad on our social media to tell us to buy something.
And here's just what we're missing because we ignore that ringing bell that calls us to action.
You will never see ads come up to adopt a kid who's lost both of their parents because they were shot by rebels in their home country across the seas.
You will never see ads come up to go and sing Christmas carols at the newer family's house down the street that's rumored to have lost their son to an unforeseen drug overdose, and then the very next year, their sister to an illness she faced for years.
You'll never see an ad come up to send money to a local family that's struggling because their dad died fighting overseas and the mom is struggling to support her 3 kids as they attend school and won't have an exciting Christmas because not only will they not have an Xbox for Christmas, but they won't have a new coat that fits, or most importantly, they won't ever have the one thing back they want the most, their own father.
"Whether it's the spare change in your coat or even the coat off your back just might make the difference in someone's life that they never had until YOU did something."
When you hear God ringing a bell in your mind, knowing darn well you better do something, know that He's calling you for a reason, and GO DO THAT SOMETHING! Hesitating will only make you regret not doing that something, but doing that something just might change your life, and by changing your life, you're changing the world.
If you are truly thankful for what you have, and can clearly see now that you're blessed, whether you knew it before or you didn't, go and express that thankfulness by extending your heart to others.
Being thankful doesn't just mean being content with what you have, but it also means doing something with that contentment, being full of God's power within you to do what others don't feel like doing.
Daniel hopped in the lion's den not because he wanted to but because he had faith that God would provide for him no matter what happened after he chose to live for Him.
We all need that kind of dangerously strong faith, now don't we?
Colossians 3:16-17
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
God says to go and make disciples unto all nations, and I'm pretty sure that's an open invitation to go share your love to anyone anywhere, knowing anything you give, whether it's the spare change in your coat or even the coat off your back just might make the difference in someone's life that they never had until YOU did something.
And you did that something not because you "just wanted to", but because God called you to change the world, not just for yourself or for that person, but for all of creation, both the here and now, and the future of His creation to come.
With that said,
Live thankfully in all circumstances, love by holding back nothing when you hear that bell ringing, and be loved when God has His children enter into your life so not them, but God himself can heal you and transform your heart to do the impossible through Him.
Go out and express yourself!
https://youtu.be/jW4VZ5J0fNQ
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