It's easy to believe that the world is broken, because we see brokenness all around us. We sometimes feel that same brokenness inside ourselves.
But the same God who sent Jesus to change the world is not done with Christ's work. At the deepest level of who God is, God intends for the brokenness to be healed, for reconciliation to take place.
In these next moments, open yourself to the brokenness you know, and remain open for the healing that God offers.
"So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
Matthew 6:2-4
Each day, we have the opportunity to give. We can give a ride, a small gift, money, food, time, and more. We can give the gift of listening, being kind, or standing up for someone else. Gifts come in all shapes and sizes.
Jesus was preaching about alms, which are charitable donations, gifts given to others. In this we are reminded today that when we give a gift – whether it be money, time, a listening ear, a voice, or food – it should be about the giving and not about the recognition that may go with it. Giving is about sharing what God has given you with others. It is about taking what you have and spreading that around.
What can you give today? No matter how big or small, that gift, that act of sharing what God has given you, will change someone else’s life. In the act of giving, your life will be changed as well.
Shannon Kelly
Bountiful God, you have given us all things, especially this gift of life. Help me to be charitable each day, giving from what I have and sharing what I have been given. In my giving, may I draw closer to you and closer to the person you created me to be. Amen.
Move now into the broken world.
Travel with an intense determination
To find your way into healing,
To take the message of reconciliation
With you,
Within you,
For everyone.