a christmas jar

it's christmas in july august, people! i did a little blog makeover for my sweet friend, debra, a few weeks back. i've read her list before but i read it again as i finished up installation that night. i just love her heart, so much. one of my favorite things on the list is give a large sum of money away.

m o n e y. isn't it funny?
(i couldn't think of a better word for it, and that rhymes. call me a rapper.)

 i want to do that. i want to give someone so much of my own money that it pangs me in my heart, knowing that i could have used it. and not have used it for bad or selfish things, either. i want to give it when i need it the most. i want to trust Jesus so much that i know that He will provide to us what our family needs. i want to bless someone in that way. and at the same time, of course, i don't want to give it away. i want that money. heck, i might need that money, depending on what my definition of need is. at this point in our lives we don't have a large sum of money to give away. some weeks we might not even have a small sum of money to give away. according to this country's standards, our family doesn't live much beyond our needs but, at the same time, we live SO much beyond our needs.

around the same time that i re-read debra's list i also came across this pin on pinterest. it's a christmas jar, filled with money throughout the year and given away on christmas eve. have you heard of it? it's all based off this book, which i don't own yet but will be buying to read with the boys this year. it made my heart so happy to stumble across this and, that day, i sat down with the boys and told them what we we were going to do. we were going to scrounge up any change that we had lying around the house and put it in that jar. and we'd do the same for the next five months until Christmas. and, sometimes, we'd even put in money that wasn't just spare change. on Christmas eve we'd give it away to someone who needs it more than us. it's a small jar but it can hold a lot. and while we don't have a lot to give away, we have this. and this could be a whole lot to someone else.

brody and foster are just starting to learn about money; the different coins and what they're worth, playing store, and helping me count it out. i know my boys don't understand all that money is right now. they don't understand how much we use it, need it, and don't need it all at the same time. but one day, when they do understand, i hope that they remember this about it: i hope they remember that it's important to give it those who need it. i hope they remember giving what's theirs away. i hope they remember christmas eve, and think to themselves it's christmas eve! it is time to give some of our money away to someone who needs it more than we do. and that being one of things we just do. we just do it. we just give it away because that is what Christ calls us to do. that it's showing love and love is what Christmas is all about. i hope they remember putting their coins and dollar bills in this jar through out the year and then running up to someone's doorstep on christmas eve and giving it all away.

now, would ya look at that? pinterest is good for something more than wasting time and gaining weight.

as with most things i try to teach my kids, this is really a lesson for myself. it's one of the many, many reasons that i am so thankful to be a mom. i can reach within myself and share with my children all that i want them, so badly, to know and do. because it's what i desire my own heart to be like.