Possessions Day 5 and 6 - Garden Gifts and More Time

As Heather shared with you we have been inspired by the way's Jen Hatmaker and her friends were able to use their pooled possessions and resources to help meet the needs of others as they arose.  I have thought a lot lately about how I can make the give away objects meaningful and one of my biggest goals is that they would truly serve others and serve the Lord not just serve to help me get rid of items that I no longer need.  This was difficult after Day 1 when I was only thinking about material objects.  Like Heather after I cleaned out my closet and thought about needs of people around me I began panicking about finding someone with a need that I could give a possession to.

I was thinking too small and once I began to think of how I could use valuable possessions of time and acts of service as well I began to have more possibilities and being able to prayerfully ask God to use all I have and all of me to serve.

This led yesterday and today to some garden gifts.  We were able to give away some fresh veggies we picked through a facebook post to friends and neighbors.

Monday afternoon I gave time and coffee to two new colleagues that were hired who wanted to discuss some ideas for this coming school year. This was mutually beneficial and meaningful because I was able to provide encouragement and answer questions while also building solid working relationships with both.

This afternoon I was able to feed four of my Furman graduates who I supervised last year who just secured teaching positions for the fall.  They are all currently in graduate courses and I thought fajitas and chance to celebrate their year and also provide some support for preparing their classrooms and their plans would be helpful.  This was also mutually beneficial.  My children enjoyed helping me prepare the meal and enjoyed having a group of very talented teachers over.

I was also able to take time this morning to send an email to a teacher who is taking my class this summer who needed a reference for a job opening.  I know that there have been and will be times when I need someone to take time for me and I want to make time always to help others when I can.

I know that all of these are minor things, and they are not really worth much in terms of monetary value.  I do have things I can give away, but like Heather I want to be able to give them graciously and generously to fill a need, not to just cross off a list and drop off somewhere.

Being mindful of meeting needs that He puts in front of me and consciously asking Him to open my eyes to see needs that I miss out of habit.  Heather and I may be out of the box with this week, but I feel that we are getting closer and closer out of our comfort zones and are seeking to be more and more mindful of His will for our lives and how we can serve others each day.

Sincerely,
Dawn