It costs nothing

Personal Photo: I hope that my snow-covered bird feeder is quick to be empty too, just like my mom's! It costs us nothing to be gracious, to be considerate of the world around us. Our hearts are so much fuller when we give with no expectation of getting anything back.

I was pulling on the top of the lid of the birdseed, but it would not budge. I thought it would only take me a couple minutes to unbury the bucket of birdseed, drag it outside, and fill up the feeders, but it seemed as though I was meant to take my time with every step. Finding the right bucket, the one that contained birdseed rather than grill pellets was the first challenge. I then had to bundle up to face the wintry force outside of my door, by pulling on my boots, fumbling with my coat, and slipping my hands inside my gloves. I finally made it outside with my bucket, a packet of suet that I remembered to open before coming outside, and a scoop for the seed. Now to get the lid off.

My mom had called me earlier this week, telling me how the birds in her backyard were so hungry, and have devoured all of the seed she set out and suet she gave them in a short day or two, so I felt inspired to do the same. It was cold outside, and snowing, and my gloves did not help with getting the lid off the bucket. Finally, I felt it pulling away and it broke free, allowing me to scrape the snow off the empty feeders, and fill them up, one scoop at a time. I enjoyed the sound of the birdseed sliding off the scoop and landing together in the bottom of the feeder, the ones that fell off the scoop leaving tiny little holes in the several inches of powdery snow at my feet. I felt as though I was doing something worthwhile and enjoyed the challenge of giving. I wiped off one of the outdoor tables and set the suet out, despite not being able to find my suet feeder, so I could see the birds from my kitchen window, and I lifted my face up to the sky to feel the soft, cold kisses of snowflakes caressing my skin as they melted one by one.

Feeling as though I had done my best, I came inside and before unbundling myself, I set down my bucket and I harnessed up our puppy, Jersey, and took her outside. Careful not to go too far from the house in case her paws got chilly, we ran from the house down the steps and into the beautifully untouched blanket of snow that carpeted our backyard. We ran until my throat burned from the cold and we turned around, bolting back the way our footsteps told us we had come. All of a sudden, we both stopped and caught our breath, and on a whim, I found myself lying on my back and making a snow angel. Jersey enjoyed the adventure as much as I did, and we ran the rest of the way back, letting reality fade away into the memories of snow days growing up.

The ability to give birdseed to the birds, and to take the time to give Jersey some freedom reminded me of something my mom always told us growing up: We can afford to be gracious. The words came to me when she was telling me about how cold it is outside, and how the animals must be hungry. Her consistent desire to help, to give, to be gracious is something that has always stood out to me, and I find that we all need the reminder to take a step back, to remove ourselves from how close we are to our own situations in order to be gracious to others. Many folks use the saying 'Kill them with kindness,' but I never liked it as well as my mom's. Being gracious comes from inside of us, and it emphasizes the incredible blessings we are surrounded by. It puts into perspective that regardless of how we feel about people, what barriers we run into, and the hurdles we encounter with our peers, we can afford to be gracious because of how gracious the Lord is with us.

We give to others because God gives to us. We love others because God first loved us. Being gracious to others is no different, and we find peace within ourselves when we allow the Holy Spirit to inspire us to be gracious. We are told in Isaiah 30:18 "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him." We are so unworthy of the Lord's blessings, but this verse reminds us of how abounding His love is for us, and how eager He is to bless us when we come to Him and repent. Because we are saved, we can share the loving grace bestowed upon us with our peers, with the world around us. It costs us nothing to be kind, to share the joy of Christ through our outlook on life.

The people we encounter in our day to day might challenge us, we might find ourselves too busy or too exhausted to give of ourselves, and we might be targeted because of our love for Christ, but all of this can encourage us to keep going, to keep being gracious. The devil only works hard on the people who are working hard for God. Satan pays little attention to the people who have already laid down the armor of God. In this way, my mom's saying is encouraging to us that our giving and our kindness might have very little to our recipients, and much more to do with our serving of Christ. Colossians 3:12 states "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience." This verse expresses how God calls us to love others and to be gracious. When we adopt these traits, we are walking representations of our Lord, and can bring others to His light. I wrote an essay in college for one of my art history classes; it was about the positioning of mosaics being dependent upon the light in the cathedrals. This included windows and candlelight, and when the light interacted with the tiny mosaic stones, it brought the characters to life. I cannot help but consider us in this way, that we come to life with God's light, with His grace. The closer we are to God's love and light, the more impact it has on us, and therefore the more impact we have on those around us.

We can afford to be gracious. This saying really has nothing to do with how much or how little we physically have. What it emphasizes is that we are abundant in blessings. Once again, we can see how small the focus is on the other people, their reception, and the challenges we may face because of it. Rather, we are expressing thankfulness for our blessings and gifts, and focusing on the ways in which we can show gratitude for them. Regardless of our situations, our struggles and burdens, at the end of the day, we have the most important gift of all: salvation. We can always afford to be gracious. And when we are, we soon find ourselves closer to God's light, making the devil work harder, and focusing on the blessings that are overflowing in our lives. Inspiration to give comes in all different forms, and mine came from my mom's encouragement to fill up a couple birdfeeders and my spontaneous snow angel. I hope we never stop seeking this inspiration, these chances to feel more alive and to do something meaningful with our time!