A Giving Journey
This treasure hunt is one that doesn’t end when you find the long sought-after jewels; they only lead you to the next gem. Building a habit of gratitude leads to a more grateful heart in general, which then lends itself to being more appreciative. However, it is a journey, sometimes an arduous one, to reach the point where gratefulness is your first response. I’d love to tell you the past thirty days have led to a miraculous transformation in my life. The reality is, at least for me, it takes more than the twenty-one to thirty days the experts say it takes to build a habit, especially a heart-changing character propensity, and especially for those of us with ADD. Therefore as we move into December where the focus changes from thankfulness to giving, I have decided to continue my gratitude focus by altering thanksgiving to giving, with thanks.
Giving With Thanks
I love to give, just for the sake of giving, no special occasion needed. There is simply something about watching someone be blessed that I love. Giving comes naturally to me, being thankful does not. I have a bit of a melancholy personality. Therefore this month as I give, I will focus on what I am grateful for regarding the recipient of the gift. This priority will enable me to continue November’s thanksgiving emphasis while enjoying this wonderful season of giving. I challenge you to keep finding ways to intentionally make thanksgiving part of your daily life no matter what the month or focal point of the season. I believe the benefits will far outweigh the sacrifice.
© Machelle Baker December 2017
Machelle is a native Texan who values liberty. She has homeschooled six of her children at some point during their educational experience. She continues to home educate the youngest two. One way she expresses her passion for helping others is as a Crisis Chaplain. Some of the disasters to which she has deployed and ministered at are: the Bastrop, TX wildfire (2011), the West, TX plant explosion (2013), the Moore, OK F5 tornado (2013), and the Central Texas flood (October 2013), the Memorial Day Blanco River flood (2015), Hurricane Harvey (2017), the Sutherland Springs church shooting (2017), and most recently the El Paso Wal-Mart shooting (2019). She also currently serves a Regional Deputy Commander for the International Fellowship of Chaplains.
