Who Needs a Season?

Posted December 22, 2006

A commentary by Erin Roscoe

'Tis the season, right? In much of the world it's the season of joy, peace and goodwill toward men, the season to give gifts and support charities. We see canned food drives, coat drives for homeless children, "adopt-a-family" programs and charitable dinners.

But we also see greed—mothers fighting each other in the aisles of Wal-Mart over toys for their children, people racking up credit card debt that will take them until next Christmas (or longer!) to pay off. We hear how stressed people feel because they haven't finished their shopping or because their tree and lights aren't up yet.

The season of giving quickly turns into a season of getting, of commercialism, of stress and conflict! Perhaps it's time to put Christmas in its true, surprising, biblical perspective. Request or download your free copy of Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Keep?

Should doing good really be that stressful? As Christians, should we need a specific season to give gifts, take care of the poor and help one another? Don't children need food as much in July as they do in December? Don't people need joy and music in their lives at other times of the year? As Christians, our lives should be focused on giving all year long. Doing good is part of who we are, not something we do only when society demands it.

Paul the apostle told early Christians, "…as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" (Galatians 6:10, New International Version). We are told to do good as we have opportunity—not just when it's convenient or popular. That's a high standard to live up to when we think about how often we have the chance to do something good for someone else.

In the fast-paced life that we all live, it's often incredibly easy to let those chances slip past us. We have to look for them or we'll miss them. Think about it during the course of your day. How can you make someone else's day a little better? What opportunities do you have to help someone in need or to give some encouragement?

When we think of doing good, we often think of big things like donating money to a charity or working in a soup kitchen. Those can be important, but we often overlook smaller things that can make a big difference. Here are a few ideas:

• Smile! It may seem a bit cliché and simple, but a smile can make a person's day. It'll improve your own mood and outlook on life too.
• Send cards—thank you cards, get well cards or just random cards to show someone you're thinking about him or her. In the age of computers, a hand-written card means a lot. Remember that feeling when you opened the mailbox and found a piece of mail addressed to you personally?
• Adopt a grandparent. Find an elderly person who can't get out much and visit him or her. Get to know your adopted grandparents, and let them get to know you. They'll enjoy your company, and you'll learn a great deal from them as well.

The list could go on. Add to it yourself. Do the big things, but look for opportunities to do the little things too. Make someone's day…every day…all year long. VT