The Giving Challenge

Today I woke up with a thought in my head. And instead of just dwelling on it for a bit and then throwing it out the window with so many others that I've had, I decided to just GO WITH IT.

Last night I had the privilege of attending a banquet here in Oklahoma City for the Whiz Kids organization. This is a faith-based, tutoring/mentorship program for kids in elementary school. It is making a huge impact here in OKC. The key-note speaker at the banquet was Collins Tuhoy, the sister from the movie The Blind Side. She told her story of how her family became so connected to Michael Orr and the impact he had and is still having on their lives and hearts. It's a pretty amazing story. Her charge at the end of her speech was, as we walk away from this banquet, away from hearing stories of lives that are being impacted and changed, that we would STOP. Turn Around. And ACT. That we would be people who ACT. Not just hear and be encouraged, but ACT.

So back to my thought for today. The Giving Challenge. I want to teach my children that it is better to GIVE than to receive. That it is more fulfilling to GO and GIVE away, because we have been given so much. And THEY have so much to give. And God calls us to GO and GIVE it away to others, to the world, in whatever way we can. So my thought for us, for me, for my kids, my family, is to do the Giving Challenge.
Today is December 1, 2010. For the next 25 days, I am challenging myself to do an "ACT of Giving" every day with my kids. This will challenge me to first THINK of and LOOK for opportunities, to be proactive, to be CREATIVE, and to ACT. As an act of accountability, I will post what we do each day...give me grace on posting though! I might get behind on the blogging, but hopefully not on the giving! I'm praying that this will have an impact on me and my heart, making me more sensitive and aware of ways that I can give and encourage and impact, as well as teaching my 3 year old son that he can make a difference in people's lives...that even at a young age, he can give and influence and share what's been given to him.

So today's ACT was taking clothes and toys to GOODWILL. I asked Graham if he wanted to give some of his toys away to kids who didn't have any, and he responded with a resounding, "YES!" He was so excited to go through his room and pick out toys to give away. It's already in him! This generous, joyful-giving spirit!!! I love it. A child's heart is so precious. His only disappointment was that we didn't actually get to "see" the kids. He kept asking me where they were! Sometimes I forget that kids are so literal. :) Here are some pics from today's Giving Act...




If you have "GIVING" stories to share during this season, I would love to hear them! Or, if you would like to join in on our 25 day Giving Challenge, that would be awesome too! Either way, I hope that all of our hearts are sparked to give a little more this holiday season.

P.S. My daughter had an INCREDIBLY, HUGE blowout diaper during the writing of this post. So I was interrupted with this stinky explosion, which required bathtime and all. Just wanted you to know it's always just a normal mommy-day life over here in these neck of the woods. Fun times. :)