The Power of Giving

"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."

-- Sir Winston Churchill

Did you know this Thursday, September 22, is North Texas Giving Day, the LARGEST community-wide, online fundraising event in the country? The entire country.

On Thursday, from 6 AM until Midnight, people are encouraged to give donations of $25 or more. These donations are then amplified by bonus funds and prizes.

Here at Behind Every Door we have pending projects, and any support we receive is always appreciated. Last year many of you showed your generosity through Giving Day – thank you!

But, this post is not a call for donations. Rather, it is a reminder about the power of helping and giving. While it is very difficult to truly measure how rewarding it is to give, sufficient scientific research however has concluded that spending our time, effort or money on others greatly increases our own quality of life. Our brains feel like the recipient of the good deed, and not the giver, and acts of giving create a domino effect. A simple act of continuous donation to a charity has been shown to boost happiness equivalent to a significant boost in household income. Jesus shined a light on this by saying:

Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. (Luke 6:37-38)

The above lesson is one of a multitude of others taught by Jesus. Giving is not solely about giving money. A simple act of reaching out to another to offer assistance is giving. Sharing your life over a meal with a friend is giving. Encouraging others to assist the underserved in our world, either with your time, your donations or simply a smile and a conversation, is giving.

Let’s strive to give today. To make a difference, to foster love and happiness, both in our personal lives, and in the lives of every individual we can help within our community.