The Reason For The Season

Sometimes we lose sight of what Christmas is all about. It's about celebrating the life of Jesus Christ, but somehow it's turned into this mass media frenzy, and I usually get caught up in the hype. I don't know what happened to me this year, but my perspective has changed considerably. While I love receiving gifts (and not just at Christmas, but all year round!), I love giving them even more. I cannot imagine not having basic necessities like enough food to eat or clean water to drink. I always ask myself "What can I do to make a difference" or "I'm just one person. My efforts would be futile."

Then I thought that a lot of people must have these same thoughts, but if we all pool our resources together, we can really make a difference. I found this site called Kiva. Kiva's mission is "to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty." How it works is you make loans for as little as $25.00 to low-income entrepreneurs all over the world. Most of these aspiring business owners aren't in it to get rich. They're in business to feed their communities, to save them from disease, or to just be able to live a safe and comfortable life. How profound is that? There was no way I could not get involved, and I tell you that my heart is bursting in just knowing that I've contributed in some way-however small.

I made my first loan to a woman named Suli who lives in Uganda. She runs a small grocery store in her community, and she's using her loan to purchase food and supplies. She has five children (whew!) and hopes to be able to grow her business and educate her children. Now what hardworking mother anywhere doesn't want that for their family?

Remember, tis the season for giving-no matter how large or how small. I wish I could give of my time and money to every worthy cause....