Christmas Spirit

The Giving Mentality

   The Christmas Spirit is intoxicating for many people during the time period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Ask any number of people and I bet you’ll get the same number of different definitions of the term “Christmas Spirit”, but an aspect inherent to most is probably an attitude of selflessness and giving. Everyone seems to be more concerned with giving rather than receiving during the holiday season and there is research to show that they act upon these feelings.  One third of charity online donations were made in December during 2010 and a multitude of opportunities see too many volunteers during this small window of the year. But it isn't just the act of partnering with and financially contributing to charitable organizations that is prevalent. There are activities such as Angel Tree shopping and selfless gift giving to friends, family members, school teachers, and mailmen that supersede the norms of altruistic behavior at other times of the year. The celebration of a season of giving is fantastic, just as celebrating love on Valentine’s Day and celebrating a person’s life on their birthday are great festivities as well! But does a problem arise when that mentality of selfless generosity disappears with the change of the calendar, wiped clean with the arrival of a new year?

    I think the first question we should ask ourselves is, why should we give at all? That one is pretty simple and straightforward. One of the places we find that answer is Deuteronomy 16:17: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.* The Lord has given us stewardship over our time, resources, and money. As he gave, we are also to give. This is not always such a natural, automatic behavior in a nation where the cultural notion of self-sufficiency is rampant. To an extent, the idea of being self-sufficient is a very positive one, but it is oftentimes taken too far in practice. It is taken too far when all we do is expect what we feel is owed to us, and that becomes our number-one concern. It is taken too far when it keeps us from showing grace to our neighbors. And it is taken too far when we refuse to view ourselves as more than individuals, but as a loving community of many individuals. Taking pride in our ability to provide for ourselves and our families is one thing, but becoming arrogant and judgmental through that is quite another. The Lord has done more for us than we could ever hope to do for ourselves and we should find humility in that. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son (John 3:16) - and what did God owe us? What reason did he have for giving to people that constantly turned their backs on him? We should take joy in that gift and desire to give to others all the more because of it. (Not to mention, who here would be alive if it weren't for God? That's a pretty massive gift). 

   The second question is how do we give? Meaning - How much should we give? Where should we give it? And what giving is most beneficial? It seems to me that this is where we run into a grayer area. I think the stewardship of money, time, and resources that we have been given look different for everyone. I also think that each particular opportunity to serve people is unique. There are two main types of giving: monetary gifts (you know, money) and service gifts (time and energy). Both types of giving come from the same root thought processes and end goals, but allow for different talents and abilities to be utilized. The important thing is the heart behind the gifts. The important thing is that we're assessing where we store our treasures (in savings accounts?** in possessions? or in the love of Christ that we share with others?) and how we can help our community, as we are gifted and as we are able. Let's look through some examples of giving behavior in the Scriptures: 

Ability

Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hardpressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: "The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little." 

2 Corinthians 8:11-15

Joy

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 

2 Corinthians 9:7

Heart

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman name Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all of the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed - or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:38-42

Generosity

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of perfume. But one of his disciples objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages" . . . "Leave her alone," Jesus replied. "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

John 12:3-7

   Does giving mean that I need to hand out a dollar to every homeless person I pass? No. In fact, if I did that, as a resident of the city of Austin, then I would be out on the streets with them in a very short time.*** We don't have to become poverty stricken in our giving and we have the freedom to do things purely for our own enjoyment (including giving), but we should be making an effort to ensure the comfort and livelihood of others and to shower love onto our fellow human beings. These passages show us that, like many directives and themes of Scripture, we are not called to one extreme form of behavior, but an attitude of the heart. We are called to love and to show grace and, most importantly, to focus on the Lord, letting all else flow from there. 

   So, what does it really look like to not only celebrate giving for a time, but to be a giver all the time? After all, we don't stop loving our significant others on February 15th, or stop caring about the lives of our friends and family the day after their birthdays. How can we treat the Christmas season as a celebration, rather than a radically different mindset? Should we be upset that giving is associated with a sense of Christmas Cheer, but is overlooked for the rest of the year? Or should we just be happy that there is giving being done at all? Does a person need to give regularly or can they pay/serve a lump sum during the month of December and call it good for all of the missed opportunities in the past 11 months? Should gifting and volunteering be the first things we think of when we become infected with Christmas Spirit, or should we begin with a greater focus on the birth of our Savior, and let all else stem from there? What do you think? Post your thoughts in the comments below!

Love,

Courtney

*While this particular verse is speaking of the Feast of Tabernacles, it's concept is found throughout the Bible in various instances and across a variety of situations. For brevity's sake, I'm choosing this one.

**Savings accounts are good things. I have one. But they can also be sources of anxiety (not trusting in God's provision), arrogance (hey - look how cool I am from all the money I saved up), and hoarding (I'm going to keep all this money for myself, even though I know this dude is hurting and God is speaking into my heart to give to him - I'm just going to use my savings account as an excuse to rack up more money that I never intend to use) 

***Also, it's not always the best idea to give homeless people cash if you want to do something actually beneficial for them. I know a guy that used to be homeless and we discussed this for a while.