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Nancy Parker Brummett

Nancy Parker Brummett

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The Art of Thankful Giving

November 9, 2017 by Nancy 10 Comments

Design by Bree Miller.
Design by Bree Miller.
As Thanksgiving arrives this year our gratitude for what we have seems to run deeper than ever before, doesn’t it? As we look at all the blessings God has placed in our hands, we come to the realization that thanks giving may not be enough. It is rather “thankful giving” that best expresses our gratitude.

I hope to carry this attitude of thankful giving beyond Thanksgiving all the way through the Christmas season this year. While our shopping and wrapping may be scaled down as we focus even more on what matters most, I’m still extremely grateful to have the means to give something to others—and to have others to receive what I give.

Billy Graham said, “God has given us two hands—one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing.”

The realization that He has chosen us to be such channels of giving is sometimes humbling and heartrending. One Christmas season my two oldest granddaughters saw princess outfits they loved at a store at the mall. The frilly dresses were ridiculously overpriced, but being the indulgent grandmother I can sometimes be, I went back a few days later and purchased both.

As I was writing out my check the tears started to well up in my eyes. By the time I grabbed my bulky package and left the store they were freely flowing. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude that I was able to buy gifts for my granddaughters when I knew there were many grandmothers who weren’t able to do the same.

Design by Bree Miller.
Design by Bree Miller.

A friend of mine is haunted by a news report she saw. A grandmother in Afghanistan was lying on a dirt floor, too weak to get up and tend to her six grandchildren who sat on the floor around her—their parents unaccounted for. Only God can reconcile the disparity between that woman and those of us who will be able to purchase and wrap gifts for our children and grandchildren for Christmas this year. Certainly the love in her heart is no weaker than that in ours.

“Freely you have received; freely give,”
Jesus said (Matthew 10:8 NIV). It truly is more blessed to give than to receive, and sharing what we have received with those we love may be the greatest form of gratitude. This year let’s make an attitude of thankful giving the invisible “add-on” to every package we wrap.

Filed Under: Back Porch Break Tagged With: Billy Graham, Giving, grandmother, Thankful, Thanksgiving

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jimmie says

    November 10, 2017 at 9:18 am

    Love you!

    Reply
    • Nancy says

      November 11, 2017 at 8:13 am

      You too–you who gives so much!

      Reply
  2. Elizabeth Van Liere says

    November 10, 2017 at 10:47 am

    Thanks, Nancy. With great-grandkids scattered here and there, I no longer know what they like or what size they have grown into. So, when (and if) they come for a visit I let them pick out a special gift and tell them it’s to remind them of me.

    Reply
    • Nancy says

      November 11, 2017 at 8:13 am

      I love that idea, Betty!

      Reply
  3. JoBeth Wachtman says

    November 10, 2017 at 11:09 am

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

    Reply
    • Nancy says

      November 11, 2017 at 8:13 am

      Same to you, JoBeth!

      Reply
  4. Beth Lueders says

    November 10, 2017 at 9:19 pm

    So powerful and sentimental, Nancy. I am thankful for YOU and your incredible strength of lifting us all up when we need it most.

    Reply
    • Nancy says

      November 11, 2017 at 8:14 am

      Thank you, Beth. And I’m grateful for YOU and all my readers.

      Reply
  5. Kim Sanford says

    November 11, 2017 at 6:18 pm

    Nancy, you definitely touched my heart with this. Thank you!

    Reply
  6. alice ferguson says

    November 13, 2017 at 4:48 am

    As insightful as always!
    Tender, touching and true!

    Reply

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