Raising World Changers In A Changing World By Kristen Welchናሙና

Day Seven

The Needs in Front of Us

Scripture: John 13:34

I ran into a friend at the library one day when I was working on my book. She peeked at my computer and said, “Oh, you’re working on your new book? What’s it about?” 

“Um . . .” You’d think I’d have my elevator pitch down, and it would be an easy question. “Generosity.” 

“Hmm . . . So like a book on giving back?” she asked.

“No, it’s a book about giving it all,” I answered.

Yeah, I’m not so sure she added it to her reading list. But when we read through the Gospels that chronicle the life of Jesus, we can come to only one conclusion: Jesus gave everything. What did it cost Jesus? Everything.

What should it cost us? Everything.

Jesus doesn’t ask us to just give back—He asks us to give it all. 

I believe we are supposed to wake up every day asking, “What can I do to serve someone today?” This is the heart of generosity. “What can I do today to help someone in need?” This is compassion. This is Christianity.

I have seen the world’s normal and looked into the faces of hopelessness, and I can tell you that there is always someone in need. There is always a storm brewing in someone’s life. There is always an opportunity to ask this question because the body of Christ is the world’s disaster-relief plan.

In the middle of Hurricane Harvey relief efforts near where we live, I wondered if our eagerness to help would dry up with the floodwaters. I was reminded that this question, this compelling motivation to give, shouldn’t depend on disaster; it should be our way of life. We were created to share what we’ve been given. 

We have to ask ourselves why we are standing on dry ground when the rest of the world seems to be drowning. What can we give today to help someone else? We simply start with the need in front of us. This is how we lead our families. This is how we raise kids who change the world. 

What is one thing you could do today to help someone else? How might your kids respond to that act? Who is someone you could encourage them to help this week?