No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.

Charles Dickens

Christmas has become known as the holiday of gifts! We scramble to find that right gift for someone else, or scramble to get our wish list completed for those who wish to buy for us. As it is true, that Jesus says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), is He really talking about Christmas gifts here?

Not many people have the resources to give tangible gifts at Christmas without borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. Most people are still paying off the debt from last years’ gifts as they pile more in the basket. And sometimes when our wisdom kicks in because we can’t give what we want to give, it can make us feel useless. We WANT to give, because the saying is true! It does feel good to give. But is the blessing that Jesus is talking about tangible gifts?

No. The blessing that Jesus is talking about is true joy! And true joy comes from giving of ourselves. Not necessarily monetary things. And not necessarily at Christmas!

Galatians 6:2 reminds us that sharing each other’s burdens fulfills the law of Christ. And there’s probably not a day that goes by that one of your friends is not burdened in one way or another. People’s burdens seem to be more apparent during the holidays, but they transpire every single day of the year.

We can’t always fix the burdens of another, but we can always offer support. We can give of ourselves in so many ways that not only bring blessings of joy to us, but also to our friend.

One way to give of yourself is to give grace to others. There is usually something that is going on in life that rears its ugly head through anger, conflict, rudeness, or other offensive behavior. Being able to let go of how you were treated and give others the benefit of the doubt through grace, in some crazy way, will bring you joy. Letting go allows God to work in you and them.

Prayer! Genuinely praying for others. It’s so easy to shoot a text to your friend or reply on FaceBook with the praying hands emoji. But how often do you really stop what you are doing, drop to your knees, and pray for the burden that person has shared. Giving your heart to God through the privilege of prayer is one of the greatest blessings you can give and receive!

Reach out with encouragement. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say, but dig deep in your heart, or go to Scripture to find words of hope. A text, a phone call, a hand written note. Any of these will show you care by giving your time to sincerely address your friend’s burden. Imagine the smile on their face when they receive the words from your well spent time thinking of them.

Pay them a visit. Our chores, our schedules, our own pity parties keep us busy! But what if we rearranged our schedule to sit with a friend? Even if we don’t know what to say, our presence is powerful! Just having a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on, or a kindred spirit in the room brings great joy to both. Yes, this can be really uncomfortable. But giving isn’t always easy! And the more you do it, the easier it gets.

And last but not least, giving something tangible that is helpful and / or uplifting can be a blessing as well. It doesn’t have to be something that cost any money at all. It could be a re-gifting of something that brought you joy. Or something that made you smile. It could be a rose from your garden, or fresh baked bread; anything that will briefly re-focus their mind to pleasant and good things.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17), and of the many gifts God has given us, the Holy Spirit is right at the top. He equips us, enables us, and empowers us to be useful by giving compassionately, humbly, and lovingly of ourselves. And those gifts don’t leave us in debt. They actually fill us up with joy, peace, and hope, and allows us to fill up others as well.

So as you struggle to find that perfect gift for your friends or family this year, ask God for His gift of helps. Ask Him how you can lighten the burden of another, making your gift a perfect and blessed gift from above that will bring you and someone else true and great joy!

#SaturdaySoulSearch