I wrote this short article for the PathLight newsletter that goes out tomorrow, but I wanted to post it because it’s a message I believe in. The message is simple: giving wisely to those less fortunate has a transformational impact on all involved. It certainly can change the life of a student in Belize, but it also can change the life of a donor. Giving is a spiritual exercise, so the more you do it with a heart for seeking the grace and peace of God, the more transformational the exercise of giving can become. It seemed an appropriate message for the season.
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The lead article in this month’s edition of our newsletter says it all. Mark does a great job conveying the transformation in the PathLight sponsorship students. The program keeps being improved and tweaked as we learn more from experience, with perhaps the biggest single improvement being the shift to Belizean leadership.
Your support makes this happen. Children are being transformed spiritually, emotionally and socially because of your generosity. I hope you take the time to go to the PathLight website and make a year-end gift. You can do so here.
At PathLight, we value the donor beyond just the financial support. I truly believe that a donor is practicing the spiritual discipline of generosity. If you think about it, asking a person to provide prayer support (which most people feel completely comfortable doing) is also asking a person to practice a spiritual discipline. You would grow from the exercise of prayer just as I would benefit from inclusion in your prayers.
Asking for financial support is not all that different from asking for prayer support. Both result in spiritual transformation. Yes, the students are growing spiritually, but so are the donors. By giving to PathLight you are connecting to a broader global Church and placing your faith in God to provide for you. Those are significant steps of spiritual growth that become tangibly evident in your life.
The complimentary acts of asking for support and giving support need to both be a spiritual exercise. I pray for donors because I know their spiritual growth is important. I meet regular with donors because I want to hear how God is working in their life. To ask for your financial support but then only be concerned with the size of the check is, frankly, manipulative. I’m far more interested in how your giving impacts the spiritual well being of the at-risk students in Belize and your walk with God. Those two factors are the signs of a healthy giver.
So I hope you will give to PathLight this month. Not only for the students, and not only for those who work full time for PathLight, but I hope you for your own spiritual growth as well. This is indeed the spirit of giving, made evident by the greatest Gift of all.
Merry Christmas!