Christmas traditions… It is one of the things that I love so much about this holiday. My family, like most, has many traditions we try to continue over the holidays. We have decorations and stockings and a tree that could light the whole block full of ornaments. Each ornament has a story and my sister, Alisa, and I like to challenge to see if we remember where they came from. Somehow, she always wins. I get two right. She gets ten! Alisa and I put up this white nativity that has been around as long as I've been alive. This year, Alisa traded out baby Jesus with a donkey just to see how long it would take me to notice. Then sometime before Christmas morning, Alisa makes me lay under the tree with her and shake the gifts (this includes the ones not for us and boxes that are just under the tree because mom likes the way they look.) Christmas at my house is a time for laughter and joy and thankfulness.
A couple years ago we started a new tradition. Instead of buying each other things we don't need and barely knew we wanted, we would donate to various charities. The charity of choice that year was definitely Gospel for Asia. Last year, the family was in a different financial state. My dad wasn't working and my sister was in college. I had just moved to Dallas and all of us were feeling the void in our wallets. We were still able to do so much without a huge amount of money. In turn, we gave each other hand made gifts for the holidays.
Somehow, it seems I've slacked on the giving this holiday season. I've been too focused on the money that I'm going to need in order to go on the Race that I've forgotten to give out of my abundance. I don't know about you guys… sometimes I forget that even when I don't have much, I still have more than the majority of the world. I've been in contact with poverty before. I've seen it in our cities and on our streets. I've seen it in Mexico and in Peru. God blessed me with the opportunity to spend time with an Indian tribe in Peru where the whole village had one generator and 3 light bulbs that they pulled out for special occasions. My tiny little apartment Christmas tree has more lights than their village. Crazy!
So, I challenge you to be generous this Christmas. Give generously. Give generously to me or another World Racer. Give generously to your church or the mission on the corner. Give generously to The Children's Hunger Fund or Feed The Children. Give generously to that guy on your corner with no job and a wife and 2 kids. Give generously. As for me, I'm going to choose 5 random current World Racers and give to them. In a year, I will be them. They are, right now, giving generously.
