The Cheerful Giver

Oh Taxes...how I loathe you. 

Yesterday I spent my entire day organizing the paperwork for my taxes.  My wonderful Father in law is our accountant and as soon as I hand over my part of the job, I can breathe again.  Bless his heart...he can read...decipher and then somehow finish our tax return.  But the preparation that goes into it is so time consuming. 

In doing my taxes, I have to go through and organize the receipts from our charitable donations throughout the past year.  Interesting enough...my devotion from my Girlfriends book yesterday and today was about money and charitable giving. 

Today's devotion included a list of questions to ask yourself to help prioritize your giving.

1.  What bothers you?

2.  Are you giving to organizations that can bring about change to those issues that concern you the most?

3.  What do you want to see changed in your lifetime?

4.  Can the organization, given time and money, effect the change?

5.  What are your passions?

6.  Can you link your passions to what bothers you?

*Inspirations for Girlfriends, Ellen Miller

Different people are bothered by different things.  I personally am bothered immensely by children's cancer.  When I found out about Kyrie Thome, and her battle with brain cancer...I knew I was to be involved in something.  I knew I had to make a difference...and that my passion for caring for children was behind my push to help.  I do know...from being on the board of directors, that the foundation is making a difference penny by penny. 

What is your passion?  Is it animals?  Is it substance abuse victims?  Is it helping the homeless?  Is it 3rd world countries?  And what are you doing to make a difference?  What organizations are you giving to that are making a difference for your cause?

And beyond that...are you a cheerful giver?  The author of this book is saying that when we are contributing to a cause that supports our passion...and is fighting against what bothers us the most, we will be more likely to be cheerfully giving to that...knowing that it is actually impacting society.  And not only that...impacting the future of our children.  My boys will grow up to live in a world where maybe...just maybe...children will be cured of brain cancer.  And knowing that I donated my time and money to that fact, gives me joy.

So, as I organize my tax folders for next year...I scratched out charitable donations and changed the title to cheerful giving.  Because that is what God wants from us.  Even when we feel as if there isn't enough money at the end of the month...we are to remember that God wants us to give...for

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.  Norman Macewan

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  2 Corinthians 9:7

Have a blessed day!
Referee of 3

*To read more about the Kyrie Foundation and how you can help, please go to http://www.kyriethome.blogspot.com/