. . . let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven Matthew 5:16 NIV

Christians should be living advertisements of the grace of God. But this isn’t always the reality. Some Christians coast along with no clear sense of what to do or how to do it. Recognizing that sometimes we need to have our pumps primed, here are some suggested ways to be generous with our lives and open up to others:

• Give something to someone because they need it more than you do
• Perform a random act of kindness
• Send someone a note of encouragement (e-mail, snail mail, Facebook, Twitter)
• Help out at a local mission
• Reconnect with a long-lost friend
• Pick up garbage in your neighbourhood
• Visit a widow (chat, sing, go for a short walk, read a story)
• Touch an untouchable, i.e. reach out to someone you’d normally avoid
• Become a mentor
• Share your skills, talents, or abilities, e.g. build a house with Habitat for Humanity
• Volunteer as a Big Brother or Big Sister
• Invite a single parent and his/her children to share a meal with you
• Prepare a food hamper and give it (secretly or openly) to a person in need
• Make something for someone (knit, sew, carve, bake, grow, etc.)
• Say things like, “Well done!” “Way to go!” “I knew you could do it!”
• Offer to babysit for parents who don’t get out too often
• Become a blood, bone marrow, hair, or organ donor
• Collect things that can be used toward a worthy cause, e.g. soup labels
• Look after orphans, foster, adopt, or financially support children in need
• Pass on used books or clothing
• Do household chores for someone who’s sick
• Treat a person to a special event (sport, musical, circus, play, conference)
• Remember special occasions (birthdays, anniversaries) and phone or send a card
• Be hospitable – open your home to someone needing a place to stay
• Add to this list and then do it