Lending a hand to others benefits us most of all
To be fully human is to give.
When you give some of your money, time or attention to others, you’ll become more of who you’re meant to be.
If you hear that someone is struggling with opioid addiction, help. This person is someone’s child. Their need has now been put in your lap. We all have addictions that, for the most part, don’t overtake us. Let the mystery of that grace sink in for a moment; let it inspire you to help.
When you see women and children in our city who have been disempowered by domestic violence, don’t turn away. Think about the freedom from fear that you live with; the power to choose that you have been given. Imagine what it would be like to be robbed of that. Imagine what it would be like to help someone get it back.
When you read about how new immigrants, those in poverty, and the disabled are struggling with literacy and learning gaps, realize that you’re reading! Recognize the privilege you possess in knowing the language, in having the education you have, in being able to learn.
When you see those who are homeless, hungry, helpless, abused, lost, or alienated; lend a hand.
It’s who you are made to be as a human being.
You become more yourself when you do selfless things; you recognize all that you’ve been given in life and you become aware of the responsibility that comes with those gifts.
When you help others flourish, you flourish.
I believe that human beings are made to put others before themselves. When we live into that core identity, we’ll feel at home again; centred, content and living life the way it should be.
Some evolutionary biologists assign this giving orientation to a kind of altruism gene (we all benefit when we give), but as a Christian pastor I believe that our giving orientation has even deeper roots; roots that we celebrate this Christmas season.
In a Christian world view, human beings are made in the image of God. We’re made to be like God in the ways we think, create, and care for others. In relation to giving, we are made in the image of a God who gives so that others can find life.
And that’s why it feels so divine when we help. There’s a bigger love at work when we sacrificially sup-
port and help those in need; a love that we’re all made to experience this Christmas season.