The Empty Boxes

Joey is this guy I met here in Sumter a few months ago.  He was telling me the other day about his son.  And from what I hear, he's a pretty extraordinary kid.

After the Christmas gifts were opened one year, Joey asked his son, "So what are we going to do with all these empty boxes?"  The kid thought a minute and then decided to do something special.  He went to his room, got some of his toys that he wasn't going to play with any more, and packed them in the empty boxes.  After this, he informed Joey that he wanted to donate the toys to a local charity so less fortunate kids in our area will have something to play with.  The young boy had come up with a great idea that was sure to bring a smile to the face of someome else.

Wow!  That's inspiring.  The rest of us should take to heart the example he set.

Here's what I believe:  God blesses us so we can bless others.

In Genesis 12:2, God tells Abraham "I will bless you and make your name great so you shall be a blessing."

In 2 Corinthians 1:4,  Paul explains God "comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God."

This idea is in the Old and New Testaments.  God does good things for us out of love and grace.  He likes to bless His children.  Our response is to then turn around and do good things for others out of love and grace.  It's a cycle of kindness that keeps on going.

Let's think about how blessed we are by God.  Is there a way we can use what He has given us to help out someone else?  Joey's kid found a way.  And I bet you and I can do the same with a little help from above.

We are blessed to bless.  What a privilege it is to be an agent of spreading God's gifts around the world.  You and I will get a lot of joy out of it, and it makes life better for those less fortunate.