I am not going to dish out all of my juiciest secrets here. Truthfully...I don't think I have many secrets, let alone juicy ones. Rather, I am making a determination for myself to HAVE little secrets.
We're coming up on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The- next six weeks are FULL of emotion - joy and loneliness, stress and busyness, gratitude and selfishness, openness and self doubt, all rolled into one delightful package we call the Holiday Season.
At this time of year, it's common for people to want to "give back" - to purposely take time apart and do something kind and selfless for others. Some people enjoy giving time more than money, so they volunteer. Others would rather write a check, so they give to the Salvation Army. Shopaholics love things like Angel Tree and Christmas Shoeboxes because they get to buy AND give. (You don't need to be a shopaholic to enjoy those things. I don't care too much for shopping, and I love doing shoeboxes.)
Last year in particular, there was a big push in Waxahachie during the Christmas season through a community effort among churches called "He is Greater," It's a good concept. The whole idea is doing something every single day that was NOT about yourself - something for which you received absolutely no reward whatsoever. It was just about doing something nice. They even handed out little half sheets of paper with a list of things to do each day - everything from buying coffee for the person behind you int he Starbucks drive through to donating a pair of pajamas to a homeless shelter. And they were all good, worthwhile things to do.
But then, there came the hashtag - #HeIsGreater.
I totally understand the logic. A hashtag on social media creates interest, and what is more worthwhile than individuals helping others, with the intent that God gets the glory for it? For weeks last year, facebook was full of friends and acquaintances who were so excited to have had their coffee paid for by a stranger. (That seemed to be the most common one. I have theories about why.) But I wonder at the effectiveness of it. Who got the glory and thanks? It was nice, please don't take me wrong...random acts of kindness are wonderful, and kindness is an incredibly large part of how God has called us to live.
But for me, just me, it didn't sit quite right. So this year, I am keeping all of my secrets. I WILL do kind things. Every chance I get, I will make an effort to love. But I will not tell anyone. I'm not trying to be a martyr and I am not telling everyone that they have to follow suit - I'm just saying that for me, this is a matter of conscience, and I must follow it.
