By: Amy Chandler

When I got the email asking me to write this article, I knew instantly that it was going to be a challenge for me. As I drank my morning coffee, I also had a conversation with God about how I could talk to readers about giving without making them feel uncomfortable. Before you stop reading, please know that this isn’t about just money. Of course monetary donations are important, but there are many other ways to give. I prayed for the correct words to write, and I hope that the rest of this article will encourage and bless you.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.-Luke 6:38

If I am honest, I used to struggle with the concept of giving. My lack of faith kept me from entrusting God with my needs. It’s only been two and a half years since I was homeless, and living out of my car. When I became sober, I had very little to give. Or so I thought. I began putting whatever I had in my pocket in the offering plate whether it was just a dollar, or a little more. Regardless of the amount, I gave anyway.

For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.
2 Corinthians 8:12

When I first started giving, I was living from month to month, barely getting by. I would silently battle with myself over whether I could make it without those few dollars, because my financial situation was really that dire. But the more I gave, it seemed I had less to worry about. I am to a point now that I am not only giving at church every week, but recently I have been able to help two other families that are struggling with financial hardship. Since the beginning of my journey with giving, I have not had to do without anything even once. God has supplied my every need. All I had to do was trust Him.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7

Not everyone can give money. Maybe you can share a meal with a neighbor? Or help a homeless person with a pair of shoes? Can you just be there to listen to a struggling mother? Or talk someone through a bad day? Pray with a family who needs support. One of my favorite ways to give is by telling others about how God has moved in my life. We have all been through something, whether it be divorce, addiction, the death of a loved one, financial issues, something. And we survived it! Sharing your testimony with others is one of the ways that you can give. Lead someone to Christ! What better way to honor God than helping someone else find Him? What do you have to give?