You Are the Gift: Almsgiving
Lately, I have made it a point to write about topics related to the Lenten season. Today I want to highlight the discipline of giving alms. Understood in the traditional sense: giving alms is simply giving to the poor.  This discipline is a call to self denial! It is a call to STOP investing in our own perceived needs. It is a call to get involved in the real needs of those who are struggling or marginalized in some significant way. The people I am talking about are our neighbors facing foreclosure, a dad who just lost his job, a family struggling to keep the lights on, or even the homeless individual who was turned away from the overcrowded, underfunded shelter in our city. Will we hear their cry and respond to the need?
Like Isaiah [6:8], for those of you who dare say to our Lord: “Here am I send me!” Let me give you some practical suggestions on how you can BE the difference in the life of someone in need!
1. Give. From now until Easter stop buying the little things. Coffee, Fast Food, I-Tunes etc. Then, take the proceeds you were already going to spend and invest them in your local food pantry, homeless shelter, battered woman’s home or specific church outreach reaching the poor. You have the means to FUND something of SIGNIFICANCE!
2. When you pack your lunch (b/c your not eating out) pack an extra bag. So, today when you drive by a homeless person in obvious need you have something practical to give. What is more encouraging when your homeless and hungry then a homemade lunch with a note tucked inside!
3. Call an inner-city school or local juvenile detention center and find out if you can be a volunteer tutor for an at risk youth from now until the end of the semester. There are programs like this in every major city – but few volunteers. My mother does this and she loves it.
4. Find someone in your office, neighborhood, church or school who is hurting. Inquire as to how you can help and make a significant investment of your time, talents, or treasure. This will not only affect the receipent but will change your life as well.
This is not an exhaustive list – but a beginning point to help you think outside the box and find ways to invest [what you have] in the life of someone in need!
Blessings to you on this Lenten journey…