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Christmas is a time for celebration and giving
thanks for what God has done for us. It is one
of the greatest day’s of the year. However,
several times during this special day, I stop
and think of all the people in the world who are
hungry, sad, sick, poor or otherwised depraved
of the basic elements needed for minimal human
existence. I then look at what we’ve done and
spent money on, and I always think we should
have and could have done more. No matter what
level of giving one provides to help others,
what is the right balance? Is there ever a right
balance with people suffering? On the other-hand,
at what point do you say, “This is how much I am
willing to do, and I’m going on with my life.”
It is a tough thing to consider.
One key
here is to remember that God is a God of
abundance, not scarcity. I think about the Great
Depression, before my time, when many people
starved and didn’t have enough. But there was
not even any real shortage. It was that everyone
bought into this idea of scarcity. The thought
of the scarcity actually created it. We need to
think abundance. When we focus on scarcity then
we create it. We should always give and receive
freely. As a key element of our cornerstone
principle - connection - we must always be
diligent to look for opportunities to let God’s
abundance flow through us to others, and to help
fulfill that. But it also means enjoying the
abundance that flows into our lives as well, and
being thankful for it. |