Cheerful Giving

2 Corinthians 9:7

 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

In case you didn’t know, I’m a Baby Boomer! My Dad fought in World War II for 4 years in the First Division Infantry of the US Army. Mom and he were married upon his return in 1946, and I was born a year and a half later. My mom’s brother, who was a year older than my dad, was also deployed in the war, but with the US Navy. When they were together, the stories were shared and, of course, were exaggerated as they were told. “The Navy won the war! The Army was more courageous!” And on it went.

My mom was also a keeper of those “sentimental” things of the past. One such item was Dad’s government issued undershorts!! As was our custom in those early childhood days, we would pick up my grandma and head to my uncle’s house for Christmas. When I was about 5, I remember at the very end of the gift opening, Mom passing out the last present for my uncle. He opened it, immediately began laughing, and then held up his delightful gift – my dad’s GI shorts!!!

Thinking that that would be the end of that joke, my mom took the shorts back. She was a keeper, remember? No one thought another thing about it. Until Christmas day the next year, back in my aunt and uncle’s living room, the last gift was once again delivered to my uncle. Can you guess what it was???  Sure you can!  And year after year, we all waited for the GI shorts to be received!

Our family knew the meaning of “cheerful giving” and it wasn’t just jokes that my mom would cook up to give her brother or my dad, for that matter. She loved the Christmas holidays because she was a cheerful giver! And she raised her daughter to be exactly the same way.



As this coming December 25^th draws near, it is my hope that we can all cheerfully decide in our hearts to give the love to others that God has given to us.  Have a terrific season sharing the reason we celebrate it.