Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion. For the Lord God loves a cheerful giver. II Corinthians 9:7
I’m one of those people you would call a ‘hand raiser’. If there is a job that needs to be done and a volunteer is needed I likely will be one of the ones raising my hand to accept. I enjoy volunteering. I enjoy helping out and being involved in my community. Being the mother of 3 boys the opportunities have been endless. Even though I enjoy giving to my community not every ‘job’ have I loved. In these moments I’ve found myself a little bitter about being so busy and having to rush from work to commitments. Sometimes I find myself even a little grouchy about some of the things I have committed to. It is easy then to let the negative thoughts in and not enjoy the things I have willingly signed up for. These negative feelings can almost over power the joy of giving.
This summer in a time of feeling like my plate was over flowing I came across a Pinterest page titled ‘10 verses to remind us to give joyfully’ These verses included 2 Corinthians 9:2, Acts 20:25, Luke 6:38, Malachi 3:10, John 3:16.
I know that God put that there for me to read. God reminded me of the importance of being joyful to serve him. You might ask how preparing a meal for my son’s football team or volunteering for PTO serves God. For me, as a Christian, everything is because of God’s love. I want to share the love God has for me, not only with God but with everyone I come in contact with.
If I’m feeling negative or grouchy the people around me are not feeling the love I have for my Lord. These verses I read reminded me God wants me to represent his Love. He wants me to help people, to be a part of my community. He wants me to do it with a joyful heart.
-Angie P