By the Way: Charity and love walk hand in hand

By Kristy Reimers-Loader on December 14, 2024.

I’ve been thinking a lot about charity lately. For Christians, the Christmas season is filled with songs and sentiments of faith and hope, but in the Scriptures, the greatest emphasis and highest value is set upon charity.

This thought cut through my consciousness most sharply when I found myself unavoidably thrust into the midst of Midnight Madness, the busiest shopping day of the year at the mall.

Anxious to get my business done and get outta Dodge, I was rushing along the corridor when I recognized the sound of jingle bells by someone collecting donations for charity amidst the consumers.

In the way that a quiet voice can cut through conversation in a crowded room, that sound caught my attention. I looked around and saw the people going from store to store, looking for bargains for their Christmas giving.

The festive mood was infectious, but that faint jingling was sobering. I thought about all the ads I’d received in my inbox for Black Friday bargains and Cyber Monday deals, and the one lonely email encouraging me to consider making a charitable donation for Giving Tuesday.

Charity is about more than money – charity is synonymous with love. In a time when our world is suffering from divisions along cultural, economic and cultural lines, a little charity would go a long way toward mending the rifts between us.

We all have something to share, after all, and of all the things we might share, money may be necessary, but it’s the least important. Some of us have time and energy for volunteering. Others might find themselves burdened with stuff that could help those living in need.

Some of us can only share uplifting messages on social media and pray for the world. Whatever we have to give, giving is good for us, and it’s good for everyone around us. In this season devoted to good cheer and gift-giving, may we be cheerful givers and grateful receivers, my friends.

Chaplain Kristy Reimers-Loader

10
-9