We were curious about the history of GivingTuesday, so we Googled it. We learned that a network of global collaborators launched GivingTuesday ten years ago simply to encourage people to do something good. Good deeds varied from making someone smile to committing a random act of kindness to financial contributions. Today, the day is overwhelmingly known as a day of financial giving, but its origins urged people to do any good thing.
GivingTuesday… Just this Tuesday?
While Bright Hope appreciates receiving gifts on days like these, we prefer to create a culture of generosity all year long. Just as we seek sustainable, ongoing change among the extreme poor, we encourage our Allies to begin thinking and praying for the poor daily! In other words, while we want you to experience the joy of generous giving, we don’t want to overemphasize giving on just one day a year.
Of course, not many of us could afford to give financially 365 days in a row, but we could all do something good every day. Sounds like a New Year’s resolution!
God’s Character Is at the Heart of Our Desire To Do Good
The Bible is full of verses that encourage believers to do good! For example:
Galatians 6:10
“…whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone…”
Psalm 37:3
“Trust in the Lord and do good…”
Ephesians 2:10
“…He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us…”
1 Thessalonians 5:15
“…always try to do good to each other and to all people.”
1 Timothy 6:18
“Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need…”
2 Thessalonians 3:13
“…never get tired of doing good.”
There’s no denying God desires us to do good for each other in His name. Not sure how to get started? Ask God to guide you in showing kindness to someone trapped in the clutches of extreme poverty.
You can start by doing one good thing today, another tomorrow, and again the next day. It’s been said that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. So just think, three weeks from now, you could be on your way to a purposeful life of sharing Christ’s love by acting in kindness and doing good! Here are a few ways to get you started:
Ways To Do Good Through Bright Hope
- Pray for one of the requests on our prayer wall. We update these requests monthly. You could pray for a new one every day.
- Learn more about the extreme poor by signing up for Bright Hope’s blog. Read and respond to one new blog each day.
- Fund a program from Bright Hope’s impact catalog that brings hope to otherwise hopeless families in poverty.
- Support Bright Hope’s Most Urgent Needs fund and give someone the help they urgently need today.
