Thankfulness. Contentment. Peacefulness. Giving to others.

These are things I want my life to be full of.

The fun of getting will never compare to the thrill of giving!

We all have so much to be thankful for!  The very people considered poor in our Nation are rich compared to the families in other countries.

I have such a stirring in me to grow in gratitude, to simplify and prune off the dead wood in my life.  I have so much to be thankful for:  I am breathing.  I am loved. I have a husband and children. I have food and clothes.  A car and a house….and so much more.

Let’s not fall for the trap of advertising.

The goal of an ad is to make us unsatisfied with what we have, how we look, what we drive, where we live.

We all to often fall for the bait, thinking, “If I had….then I’d be happy!”  But, how many of us have houses overflowing with things we don’t even remember buying, things we don’t use or need?

What if we had what we needed, were content with that and had more resources to help take care of others?

Growing in thankfulness and being content with what I have…that Works For Me!

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

1 Timothy 6:6

The world is often a scary, depressing place.  It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with economic problems, wars and corrupt people in power.

It’s easy feel helpless, hopeless and angry, living in a world that you can’t seem to change.

As a Christian I know the only hope for the hurting and dying world we live in is Jesus.

In John 14:6 Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

I have been teaching my children that love is shown by saying and doing.

As Christians our love is shown to the world in the same way.

James 2:14-16 says “What is the use, brothers, if you claim to have faith but you don’t do good works? Can that kind of faith save you?  If a brother or sister is destitute, lacking clothes or food, and you just say to them, `Go in peace; be warm and filled,’ but you don’t meet their physical needs, what good is that?”

Amanda Blake Soule at Soule Mama has started a new blog called Mama to Mama.  The projects from this blog will help us put action to our love of others.  I learned about this blog from Aimee, she is joining in the current project to sew hats for newborns in Haiti.

Let’s sew some seeds of love and hope…

© 2008 Samaritan's Purse. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Psalms 112:5 A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.
6 Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.
9 He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.

One of the ways we can obey this scripture is by giving to the poor.  We in America are so blessed, let’s put our abundance to good work!

Samaritan’s Purse is a wonderful ministry that has been demonstrating the gospel for 35 years.  For every dollar that is given over ninety cents goes to the people in need.

They have a wonderful catalog that you can use to pick out how you want to bless someone. I really like the idea of giving a family a dairy goat or some chickens; the family will have better food and they can sell the surplus.

This is such a wonderful way of keeping Christ in Christmas!