It’s November 3rd 2012 and we have officially broken out the Christmas music! If we currently had an artificial tree we would have likely put it up today! Go ahead and tell me we are awful for skipping past Thanksgiving, but if you ask me Thanksgiving and Christmas go hand in hand. What could we possibly be more thankful for than Jesus? We Love Christmas, we Love celebrating our Lord and savior and what He has done for us. We Love Christmas lights and hot apple cider and cookies. We also Love presents! We Love to give (usually having a hard time waiting until the 25th to give that special gift), let’s face it we also Love to receive – who doesn’t Love a gift?

That giving spirit is one of my favorite things about Christmas! Something happens this time of year in the hearts of people everywhere that causes them to give of themselves, of their resources – from their hearts. Soup kitchens are filled with volunteers, toy drive boxes are full of little treasures to make a needy child smile. There are even little red buckets being filled with change everywhere you turn.

Admittedly, I have lost sight of that giving spirit lately. Instead of cheerfully giving of my time, and energy, MY SLEEP, to care for these little ones I have almost thrown myself a pity party. I have focused too often on how difficult this is, when I should be focused on Loving. It will not always be easy, I will continue to loose sleep and have too much to do in too little time, but I have the choice to be giving with those things or not. I choose my attitude!

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40