Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year. I mean, a day dedicated to feasting! It feeds the soul since it is also a time of gathering and sharing our blessings. Plus, Fall has just hit its peak out here in California, so we are excited to finally put on a sweater.
“Our national day of Thanksgiving is immediately followed by two days of stuff-getting: the frenzy of consumer hand-to-hand combat known as Black Friday, which has spilled over to Cyber Monday. The splurge and binge of those days created the perfect conditions for a change of pace. We needed a dedicated day of giving, this time not just our heartfelt thanks but also something more tangible. #GivingTuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, arrived at the moment many of us were feeling overly stuffed, fatigued…” and maybe even hungry for something bigger than ourselves.
#GivingTuesday and SI
Now in its fifth year, #GivingTuesday is a perfect fit for Students International. We love that it is a global, grass-roots movement that gets its momentum on social media. It is an opportunity to use social media for good. But it is more than that for us, because God instructs us to give. For instance, one day in the temple Jesus took note of the widow who gave her mite. She dropped in the treasury only two little coins, but Jesus knew how she gave generously. Jesus turned to his disciples, and shared this with them. In a sense, he made the giving “social.” (Mark 12:41-44) He was encouraging them, and now encouraging us, to not judge others on their level of giving (whether it is plenty or little), but to listen to how God would instruct you and me to give. And then to do it.
Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
All your gifts to SI help transform lives and communities of people for the glory of God’s Kingdom and are tax deductible donations. Our goal is to raise $15,000 to help continue seeing lives transformed.
It is our hope that this year on #GivingTuesday that you will listen to the needs of others and listen to the Holy Spirit. Maybe it is money, maybe it is volunteering with your local church or soup kitchen, maybe it is opening up your home in hospitality. One idea is to give up a $5 cup of coffee on Tuesday and give that money instead. It might not seem like much, but if 100 people did it, it would make a huge difference! And whether you give or not, support this day on social media by linking us or other worthy organizations you can give to with the hashtag #GivingTuesday. We want to help make this day bigger for the glory of his Kingdom!
Check out (and share on social media!):
Photo credit: http://vultuschristi.org
Source of #GivingTuesday history
