Last year I wrote a guest post for my friend Christin Ditchfield’s blog about a new Christmas activity my family and I started participating in called The Prayer Stocking. In it I shared “What would happen if we used our stockings to collect the prayer needs of others and spent the days leading up to Christmas praying over the requests — even supplying some tangible prayer needs anonymously?”
You can read the original post on Christin’s blog HERE.
Little did I know how many of you would join us in this project! I was blessed to read the many stories and testimonies of how God used your prayer stockings and gifts of kindness to share His love with so many! You were truly being the hands and feet of Jesus!
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:35-40)
This year let’s revisit the prayer stocking once again but this time let’s get even more creative in our ways to bless “the least of these.”
5 Creative Ways to Live Out Matthew 25:40 this Christmas
Bless those grieving a recent loss
Search your local obituary for opportunities to be a blessing this holiday. Allow your heart to lead you. If you find a young mom has become a new widow, reach out to her and offer to help with her kids Christmas gifts. Invite someone to join your family for hot chocolate and cookies. Be available to meet the many needs that can arise out of tragedy.
Bless those who feel forgotten and abandoned
Call your local prison and ask about opportunities to bless a prisoner. Gifts of food items and books are often allowed. Include a personal note from your heart sharing why their life matters and why you feel led to bless them this Christmas. Visit your local nursing homes. Spend time sitting and talking to the ones who no longer have family who come visit them. Ask them what they need: bedroom slippers, a new nightgown, a hug?
Bless those who are dying of thirst
What would it be like to be responsible for bringing fresh water to a third world area where people are literally dying of thirst due to the lack of drinking water? Why not find out this Christmas! Donate to organizations like Wine to Water or Life Outreach International’s Water for Life. Everyday when you take a sip of refreshing water, know that you are giving the same life-giving sustenance to someone millions of miles away who will one day thank you for living out Matthew 25.
Bless those who will one day walk in your shoes
Those who go out into the mission field often need supplies most of us consider trash or waste. One such item would be your old shoes. Start a shoe drive in your school or church with organizations like Soles4Souls. They will ship your old shoes around the world to places where they can do the most good.
Bless those afraid to ask for help
Overcomers often do so quietly and without much fanfare. Many women who have survived sex trafficking and domestic abuse are starting new lives with limited supplies. Look for local and national organizations (A21, The WellHouse, Domestic Violence Shelters) where you can donate some of your old interview clothes, nice shoes, accessories, and unused make-up. Those things sitting around your home could be a lifeline for a sister in need.
I’m praying this Christmas you find yourself filled with the joy of the Lord as you bless many in tangible life-changing ways.
