CLEOEJACKSONIII.COM
  • My Home Page
  • My Life and Ministry
  • My Ongoing Thoughts
  • My Favorite Bible Verses
  • My Favorite Stories
  • My Favorite Jokes
  • My Favorite Quotations
  • My Favorite Web Links
  • My Contact Info
"Helping Others Communicate"

THE JOY OF GIVING!

11/26/2018

 
Some time back, Sheryl Crow had a hit song proclaiming that every day is a winding road.  These days, it seems, every day is a special day!
 
Unlike things were "back in the day", when the extent of the fall calendar fall included Halloween and Thanksgiving, with nothing more until Christmas, our modern calendars are now chock full of all sorts of days devoted to first one purpose and then another.

For instance, Thanksgiving, occurring as it does on Thursday, is hardly over before "Black Friday" unfolds.  Stores quite literally open at midnight.  Indeed some even open at 6pm on Thursday itself! Either way, the frenzy is on!  Not to be outdone, "Black Friday" sales then give way to "Small Business Saturday" and "Cyber Monday" and yet another plethora of discounts and deals.  In the process, you and I are bidden to spend, spend, and then spend some more.  

One wonders how many more such special days will appear in the next decade or two. "Obtain-It-All Tuesday"? "Rake-It-All-In Wednesday"? "Take-It-All-Home Thursday"? "Score-It-All Sunday"?  Such is life!

At this point, of course, I realize that that any retailers who happen to be reading this may well take umbrage with me.  Many venders actually do depend upon these heavy shopping days to turn a profit for the year.  Hence, the very name "Black Friday". (Wikipedia has an excellent article on the origin of this day.)

But, if it sounds like I am being a little disparaging here, then let me remind you how ironic it is that we are so quickly encouraged to set aside the one single day we manage to devote to appreciation and jump right back into day after day of consumption! 

All this being said, I do want to affirm one particular new "special" day that has cropped up on the calendar.  The day after "Cyber Monday" has now come to be designated as "Giving Tuesday". Begun in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y in New York City as a response to the very commercialization and consumerism in the post-Thanksgiving season decried above, this is a relatively new special day on our calendar whose purpose is to encourage charitable giving in a season of conspicuous consumption.

If you are as yet unfamiliar with "Giving Tuesday", don't feel too bad.  You are likely not alone.  A couple of years ago, the John Templeton Foundation released a study based on a survey of Americans showing that 93% of respondents were familiar with "Black Friday", whereas only 18% were familiar with "Giving Tuesday".

Nonetheless, while this special day still has a long way to go in terms of achieving name recognition, it is fast gaining traction. For instance, records indicate that in the first year it was begun (2012), Americans donated just over $10 million to various charities on this special day.  The following year, 2013 saw that amount rise to over $28.  2014 was over $45 million; 2015 topped $116 million; and 2016 exceeded $168 million.  The latest figures show that 2017 scored over $274 in charitable contributions! Praise the Lord!

And yet, these figures should not really surprise us.  There is little doubt that they are due to the purpose behind this special day. After all, it was Jesus Christ Himself Who reminded us that there is a far bigger blessing in giving than in receiving!  And once people come to realize this, it makes a significant impact on their approach to charity.

As I write this, it is right at 9pm on Cyber Monday.  A Fox Business News web site article currently contains the following headline:  "Cyber Monday Tracking For Biggest Online Shopping Day In US History!"  And this comes on the heels of this past Friday, which itself set a record as the single busiest shopping day ever in U.S. history!

All of this is, of course, very good news - for retailers, to be sure - but also for our economy in general.  And my previous rant notwithstanding, if this was due in part to you, then you are to be congratulated - both for getting a good deal and for helping to spur our economy in the process.

But do not forget about tomorrow.  Let’s make "Giving Tuesday" every bit as successful as "Cyber Monday" and "Black Friday" ever were!  For the twin satisfactions of getting a good deal and spurring the economy really do pale in comparison to the blessing we get when we give as much or more than we receive!

INFO SOURCE:  You can read more about "Giving Tuesday" here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giving_Tuesday.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: 
https://biblehub.com/acts/20-35.htm.

NEWS SOURCE:
https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/cyber-monday-tracking-for-biggest-online-shopping-day-in-us-history.

Comments are closed.

    Cleo E. Jackson, III

    Occasionally I will add
    a few thoughts to my blog. If you find them inspirational, I will be
    honored.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010

    Categories

    All