Are You a Giver or Taker This Holiday Season?

Something struck me as odd the other day. My wife and I sponsor two children in different countries outside the United States. I had asked several of my relatives to sponsor a child as a gift to our family instead of buying gifts for our family members. Many of my family members seemed interested in doing so, yet none of them took any action. I love my family dearly and I respect them greatly. They all seem to be very good people with hearts of gold. I asked several of my family members if they donated any money to special causes or sponsored children or anything that would be charitable. The responses I got were that most of my family only had money for gifts for their own families. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

I asked about fifty of my co-workers what kind of charitable gifts they had given for the holidays and not even one person out of fifty gave anything back to the
world except for a few donations to their church throughout the year. It strikes me as odd and tragic that out of so many people that I personally know so few actually have done anything to help others throughout 2007.

We are the richest nation on the earth. I know there will be no less than dozens of gifts exchanged in each household of people that I know and love and yet they can not find enough unconditional love in their heart to help those that they do not know.

I think at this juncture in history we are a nation of greedy, irrational people. We have always been known for being largely generous people. As each generation is born and matures we grow farther from our values and guiding principles that are the foundation of our faith.

How can we celebrate the holidays without including unconditional love and charity? Giving is the spirit of the celebration.

It is hard for me to own an excessive amount of personal belongings without feeling a bit sick to my stomach when I know there are small children around the world dying today because they have no food, no medicines, sometimes no safety. If I can even help one child have some better living condition isn't that the right thing to do? We spend over $6000.00 per month on crap and it costs less than $20.00to change a child's life every month for real right now in real time.

How can so few care about these children? How can so few sacrifice five cappuccinos or lattes per month so that some child somewhere else on the earth may drink safe water tonight or eat something so they may live another day. It is unbelievable to me how calloused a society we have become. It is my sincere hope that someone finds this message and takes action. Sponsor a child even for one month, it is a month that may change that child's ability to live. You actually can make a choice to help save a child's life. If it were our children would we want some stranger to have a heart, to make an emotional connection that would save their life?

I hope that you will think about this during your holiday and make a commitment to helping someone else during 2008 without knowing them, without any reward or recognition. It may change their life. It will definitely change yours.