Read: Romans 12:10
One Sunday my husband and I were listening to a powerful message at church about generosity. At the end of the service we were asked to share what we would do if we found $100—ours to spend any way we liked. What did our family need most at that very moment? How would $100 change our circumstances? People shared a few ideas—home improvement projects, new clothes for school, a meal to share with extended family. Across the room a woman spoke through tears. She would use the money to take her children away for a night to a hotel with a pool so they could laugh and play and be away, just for a few hours, from the abuse and fear of the night before. It was stunningly honest, vulnerable, and heartbreaking.
The pastor called her to the front, pulled $100 out of his wallet, and gave it to her. No strings attached. “You have no idea. You have no idea,” she sobbed. Church members in the seats nearby rose and surrounded her, a wall of prayer and support building around her as she wept. It was unplanned and unexpected, but a powerful challenge.
We don’t need to wait until we have an extra $100 to honor someone God has placed in our lives. An encouraging word, time taken to truly listen to a friend, a word of affirmation over a dream someone has that feels a little scary – it all matters. And when we take the time to outdo someone in honor who does the same thing we do, or who has the same dream, the world is going to notice. We’re choosing honor instead of competition, and we’re choosing generosity instead of fear. The work God has given you is for YOU to do – and nothing anyone else does, even in the same area, can take away from what God has planned for YOUR life. We don’t need to be afraid to live generously. As we do the work God has given us, let’s be good stewards of the resources He provides and show others that holy hustle is different because we care more about people than platforms.
Kindness matters.
I have had so much fun popping into “Holy Hustle” book clubs around the country over the last few months and going through the book with a group at my home church. As we head into Thanksgiving and the hectic holiday season, I would love to invite you to join me for a virtual “Holy Hustle” book club so we can stay focused on keeping our hustle holy! Over the next few days I’ll share a reading guide and some more necessary details, but for now….a giveaway!
I would LOVE to give one of you a set of 10 copies of “Holy Hustle” so you can put an “in real life” book club together! Whether you grab some friends and chat about the book in your living room over wine and snacks, or you hang out with some ladies after your class at the gym, or you do a study at your church, you’ll be ready to go with a free set of books. YAY!
Enter to win using the easy peasy giveaway widget …and good luck!