By Cyndee Ownbey
Gifts is one of my love languages.
While I enjoy receiving gifts, it’s giving gifts that really fills my bucket. I find great joy in being able to show someone I was thinking of them. It’s an opportunity to be a blessing.
I love to shop and I’ve always got my eyes open for small gifts to bless friends and family. I don’t always have a recipient in mind when I purchase a gift. Sometimes it just gets put in my little stash of gifts until I’ve realized who God wants me to give it to.
While I certainly love random little treasures that would make a friend smile or laugh, I strive for thoughtful gifts: gifts that provide a physical expression of encouragement, gifts that give hope, gifts that remind someone who they are in Christ.
CTA – Christ to All is one of my favorite places to find encouraging gifts. The quality is great and the prices are budget friendly. Unlike something I might grab at the local dollar store, every gift features God’s Word.
Giving gifts is one way we can show others our love for Christ. John 13:35 (ESV) says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
How can we link arms with our women and encourage them to love others through a small gift? We give them a gift to keep and a gift to give away to a woman outside of our church community.
5 Steps in the Take a Blessing, Be a Blessing Challenge:
- Share a personal story of how a small gift you gave or received was a blessing.
- Pray out loud that God will use the women in your group to be a blessing to those who don’t know him.
- As a group, brainstorm a list of places and people outside of your church that could be blessed by a small gift. For example, a woman at the gym, your child’s teacher, a neighbor, or your hairdresser.
- Give each woman two gifts from CTA – Christ to All (one to keep and one to give away).
- Challenge each woman in attendance to pray and ask God who he wants her to bless.
You could add a line in your ministry budget for the gifts or cover the expense with an event fee or donation basket.
Take a blessing, be a blessing, and spread God’s love beyond the walls of your church.
