The Giving Project: Month 2 (February)

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Thanks to all of you who shared your enthusiasm and participated in The Giving Project for January, giving food to someone God laid on your heart.  I heard some great stories of giving from a few of you who participated, including this one:


I was feeling reluctant to serve [a certain person who I had already given to many times before] again. I prayed on it knowing that God doesn't just want us to serve "good" people etc. Just then I came across your blog and The Giving Project with the message about sharing food. It was totally God telling me to serve this family anyway regardless of my feelings about them. It really builds my faith when I see God working and speaking to me that clearly.  So I thought that story might encourage you as it did me because God used your blog to impart guidance! Neat.  :)


This person is right, sometimes God calls you to give to someone you've already given to before, even when we feel they might be taking advantage of "help" offered to them.  It is hard to do.  Little did I know that very soon after I wrote that post, God would call us to give in a BIG way.  This "small" Giving Project turned into a huge "life project" for us!  And we don't mind at all.


I was praying this past week about what the challenge should be for February.  I really believe God laid it on my heart yesterday.  This month, I challenge all of us to reach out to someone for Valentine's Day.  Yes, arguably one of the most marketed, commercial days of the year.  So, why Valentine's Day?  Because there are a lot of lonely people around us who are reminded on Valentine's Day that they have nobody to share that day with.  There are many people who feel grief particularly hard on this day:


-Those who have lost a spouse
-Those who have lost a child
-Those who are single and sad about it
-Those who just broke up with a significant other
-Older people who feel forgotten 
-Maybe even you.


So, here is the project for February:   Choose at least one person in your life who you know is alone.  Send them a Valentine's Day card and let them know you are thinking of them.  Or have your kids make them a Valentine's Day card (who doesn't love that?!).  If you want to go a step further, give them some flowers from your backyard, or some homemade cookies, or some loot from your kid's Valentine's Day party.  You pray about it, and see who God might bring to your mind.  


You might be thinking "but the person is ME! Valentine's Day is hard for ME!!" Then this challenge is especially important for you; that you make this day all about reaching out to others and connecting.  In doing that, you will be so blessed.  


In about 2 weeks, we can all get back here and leave comments to see what creative ways people came up with to give.  Have fun and make someone's Valentine's Day!!!


(P.S. Sorry about the formatting & font issues; I have these issues every time I copy and paste a quote into my page and then can't get the rest of the font back to normal.  Anyone have a fix for this?)