Monday Morning Manna: Giving to those who Give

Do you give any Christmas gifts to people you don’t know personally – like the postman, the firefighter, the police officer, others who give to you, but never meet you? For the past twenty-plus years I have enjoyed a Christmas Eve practice of giving to police officers I do not know. It started after 9/11, when everyone was expressing thanks for first responders. I share my practice with you this Christmas with a suggestion that you find a person or group and do likewise. My giving was started as an anonymous act. I would purchase a stack of coffee shop gift cards, then drive around on Christmas Eve until I saw a police officer. Without introducing myself, I would simply hand them a gift card, thank them for working on Christmas Eve, and wish them a merry Christmas. Then several years ago I got caught. An officer recorded my license plate number, looked me up, had other officers sign a thank-you card, and delivered it to my house late on Christmas Eve. I still try to be anonymous, but if I get caught it is OK. It is one of my favorite Christmas things to do. If I don’t give out all my cards on Christmas Eve, I go back out on Christmas morning and give out the remainder. Until last year, I had never had an officer refuse my gift. Last year, one officer replied, “No thank you. I don’t celebrate this holiday.” My response was, “How about taking this gift card and giving it to another officer.” He agreed. So what will you give this Christmas to someone who gives to you? Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford