BY JESSICA LANDMON
I don’t want to alarm anyone but there are only 12 days left until Christmas. The countdown is officially on! With that said, I want to encourage you to be intentional about how you spend these days. As you are consumed with finding the perfect gift for all the special people in your life, I challenge you to stress less and give more – not more material items, but more. With that said, I am kicking off the Twelve Days of Giving Challenge.
Money doesn’t buy happiness, right? So why do we go in debt trying to buy gifts for our family members to show them that we are thinking of them? Remember, the best things we give as gifts aren’t things at all. Won’t you join me in giving more of you this Christmas season? Here are twelve “free” gifts that you can generously give this season.
Day 1: Give Thanks
I think we all can agree that feeling appreciated is a fantastic gift to receive. Today, focus on the people in your life that have made an impact in it. Take a moment and send a text, write a thank you note, or make a quick phone call to thank the people in your life that have supported and loved you this past year. And don’t forget to thank your Heavenly Father for all the blessings and provisions that you take for granted each and every day.
Day 2: Give Hope
We are just about to enter year three of a worldwide pandemic. Many have lost loved ones, are struggling with health issues, have lost jobs or are dealing with depression and isolation. As a Christian, you can give somebody struggling a precious gift by simply giving them hope. Sharing your hope in Jesus is just the perfect gift this season.
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. – Deuteronomy 31:6
Day 3: Give Love
The word love is so overused these days. You love your husband, but you also love tacos, leggings, and Target trips. See my point? And as loosely as it is used, many people neglect to tell the people they really love, “I love you.” Stop being stingy and let the “I love yous” flow today. Make sure every person you love in your life actually knows it.
Day 4: Give Time
Time is money, and there is no better gift than to gift your time. Giving your time lets people know that they mean something to you. I encourage you to turn off your phone, block off some uninterrupted time, and invest it in someone you love. Talk, laugh, share, reminisce. I promise you this gift will not only bless them, but you as well.
Day 5: Give Praise
We are all too quick to point out the flaws and mistakes in other people’s lives. Today, I challenge you to focus on the positive. We are called to build one another up, so let’s do just that. Share the good you see in another person. Let them know that you admire their kind hearts, their sense of humor, or their fashion sense. A kind word can change the trajectory of someone’s day. How awesome it is to possess that power to do that for someone else.
Day 6: Give Patience
Nobody’s perfect. And some, more than others, try that adage. But today, focus on being patient with people, realizing that we are all a work in progress. Extend the same grace to those stretching your patience as you would like God to extend to you.
Day 7: Give Forgiveness
I know many of you have been the victims of a lot of hurt. But harboring unforgiveness in your heart only blocks God’s freedom to move in your life. On day seven, I encourage you to forgive those who have wronged you and release it into God’s hands.
Day 8: Give Prayer
Some of the best texts that I have ever received are from friends who randomly let me know that they are praying for me. Wow! What a tremendous gift that is to be part of a fellowship where people don’t just pray for you when things are going badly, but just remember you in their prayers because God put you on their hearts. Carve out some time in your day today to give the gift of prayer to the special people in your life (and let them know you are doing so).
We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers. – 1 Thessalonians 1:2
Day 9: Give Wisdom
Sometimes we walk through trials and seasons of hardship not only so that we can learn something, but so that we can pass on what we’ve learned to those who may walk a similar path. Don’t withhold your Godly wisdom from those who might benefit from it. Find someone to pass it on to today.
How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver! – Proverbs 16:16
Day 10: Give Talent
I know many of you ladies are super talented. You make Martha Stewart look like a novice in the kitchen or Joanna Gaines’s decorating seem like child’s play. On day ten, ask the Lord what ways you can use the talent that He has deposited inside of you to bless another person. Maybe you could bake cookies for a neighbor, or entertain your friend’s kids for an hour so that she can get some wrapping done. You might use your incredible organizational skills to help sort and organize food at the local food bank. All talent is God-given. Look for a way to gift it this Christmas.
Day 11: Give Honor
This one can be a tough one for many. Giving honor means that you must esteem, value, or respect others. The Bible clearly instructs you to honor your parents, the elderly, and those placed in authority. How do you show honor – through obedience and respect. You need to remember that everyone that is placed in authority has been placed there by God, and you are ultimately honoring God by honoring them.
Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. – 1 Peter 2:17
Day 12: Give Life
Hopefully, you have made it to day 12 with me because this day is the most important. In fact, it is life changing. God gifted us with the greatest gift of all, the birth of His son Jesus. That’s why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. Jesus’s birth, life, and death were all done for us so that we could be reconciled with God and have eternal life. So yes, today is about giving – giving your life to Jesus – but it’s more about receiving salvation and forgiveness for your sins. If you have not had the opportunity or the willingness to lay your life down for the Lord, today is your day. Won’t you join me in giving your life to Him?
Repeat after me:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I come to you today with a repentant heart. Thank you for the gift of Jesus. I believe He is the son of God, died on the cross, and rose again. I confess with my mouth that He is Lord and receive the forgiveness of my sins. Lord Jesus, I lay down my life today in faith and ask you to be my personal Lord and Savior. Please send the Holy Spirit to guide me and do your will. In your precious name I pray. Amen.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9
**Make sure you follow along on Women Get Real’s social media stories each day and share how your Twelve Days of Giving is going.**