From a young age we learn “mine.” In fact, we had twins for a year and as soon as they were able to hold on to things, the were fighting over toys.  It starts early.  But as we continually focus on filling out buckets with the living water Jesus gives us, we must be willing to pour out what we’re given on others. This is Jesus-centered sharing. Trusting Jesus to care for us so well that we can’t outgive him. Sharing with others can only provide more in our buckets. 

What do we share

So what do we share? I think it’s a sign of our personality where our mind goes first, but there are many areas and easy we should consider sharing with others.

Our story in God’s Story

I considered making these two separate, but they are too tightly interwound.  Our story is pointless without God’s story, and God’s story is he came to save each of us.  So the most important thing we can share with others is how God rescued and redeemed us from our old lives and how God can do it for every person. 

Our time

For me, I would rather give money than give my time.  Something or someone is very important if I’m giving my time because I can’t get more time. This is the one area we are all equal in how much we have.  It’s up to each of us on how we use it and who we share out time with.

Our talent

We have three types of talents, natural, learned, and spiritual. Natural talents are the ones that God just created us to be good at.  Learned are the ones we have a fancy certificate or diploma hanging on the wall to show how good we did.  Spiritual are ones that God equips you for in the moment you need them.  Spiritual gifts are a bigger conversation than what we’ll have here, but God doesn’t just provide us with physical resources to do what he calls us to do but also gives us the skills we need to accomplish them. All of these skills can be shared with a Jesus-centered worldview. And through sharing these skills, we can either share God’s story or equip someone else to share God’s story, sometimes both.  

Our treasure

Money.  Such a touchy topic among Christians.  It’s the hardest thing for many of us to share for Jesus, we love taking care of it, but when it comes to using it how God calls us to, that makes us stop and question how much we really have to share. I know there were many times in my early adult life when I saw how much I was tithing and contemplated all the things I could do with that money to make my life a little bit easier.  But I continued to give to the Church and share with others when I had a little extra. And I never really needed it.  I always had what I needed, usually more than I needed.  Money is that thing that we think we always need a little more in order to start doing what God is prompting us to do.  And a little more never really changes our hearts.  Either we trust God with everything we have or we don’t. And then it comes down to whether you are going to dig a deeper well or are you going to pour out to make more room for God’s blessings.  

Why do we share

To Encourage

One of the reasons we share any of the things above is to encourage others. To let them know that we support them, that God is faithful, or that God cares about them. We share with them. And through sharing,we are able to encourage them in how God also cares for them and is preparing good things for them too.

By sharing, we inspire and motivate others to persevere in their own journeys. It serves as a reminder that they are not alone in their struggles and that there is hope for a brighter future. Our sharing also fosters a sense of community, where individuals can find solace and strength in knowing that others are going through similar experiences. Through our words and actions, we can instill confidence and faith in others, helping them to overcome obstacles and trust in God’s plan for their lives. Ultimately, sharing creates a ripple effect of encouragement, spreading positivity and fostering a supportive environment for everyone involved.

To Equip

We also share to equip others. If we have something we’re not using that can support someone in their ministry, how much better is it to share it so the Gospel can be shared, rather than keeping something around “just in case.”   

We have a Christian-based foster closet that we use as foster parents, but we also donate and collect items from others to give so that the mission of letting Foster kids know they’re cared for can continue.  We are often giving clothes back to them as kids outgrow things or move on and decide not to take things with them. I would much rather the clothes go to use than sit in a box in my basement.

Sometimes the way we equip others is through sharing of skills and or spiritual teaching.  I recently was struck by how much Jesus and the disciples were trained before we read about it in the Bible. We often compare ourselves to the disciples and how much they accomplished in the three years they were with Jesus, but we forget that they spent their whole lives before that moment learning about God and his rules for life. Jesus had them take that information and transform it in their mind to a true understanding of what the scriptures meant through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. 

To Empower

Sometimes we share so that others are lifted up and given a larger platform and more influence.  As a minister and a parent, I hope my kids and the people I care for will go on to do bigger and better things than I ever did.  This is how we continue the mission forward into future generations. Sometimes we share to give others the ability to share bigger and better than we could ever have done.

What to do

So what role do you play in this? Start with what you have where you have. Maybe you’ve never thought to share with anyone because you feel like the person that always needs help and has nothing to share. But everyone has something they can give.  Whether it’s some time, a dollar, or skill, God has gifted us with everything we have, and part of being a weird soul  is starting with that lens and asking God, “What do you want me to do with it?”  Nothing is weirder than being someone that gives away freely, knowing God will care for them. I’ve heard amazing stories about people who have trusted God fully to provide everything for them. One of my favorites is in “Tales of the Not Forgotten” by Beth Guckenberger. I wish I could say I’ve shown my faith to that extent, but I haven’t, or at least not in that way. There are still parts of me that are scared to ask God for that big of a provision because what if it doesn’t happen?  But little by little, he shows me that he’ll take care of me, and I trust him in different and bigger ways. And maybe one day, I’ll have stories that big to tell. 

But here are small ways that I’ve seen people start to share with others that have made big differences. Maybe one will inspire you on how to start taking more steps:

• Time: offer a small amount of time to serve; it only takes a couple of minutes to write a card or call someone.  If you only have a couple of minutes, ask what can happen with that, and see how quickly you start to see more time to give.
• Talent: We have people at our church that love to Knit. So they knit washcloths for ministry to schools. You wouldn’t think a washcloth would tell someone that we care for them, but at one of the back-to-school bashes where we give out hygiene bags with handmade washcloths to kids, they are beyond excited to have something so special.
• Treasure: Start with a dollar if that seems like a scary number. Or Start with 10 if a dollar doesn’t feel like a big deal, and give it to your church with no strings attached. It’s easier to give when we feel like we’re controlling where the money goes, but it is a bigger step of sharing what God’s given you by trusting your church to care for the money well.

The benefit of sharing is the joy you receive as you see the impact on a person and change a life. Sometimes the life that’s changed is simply you’re own. The one small step of faith in trusting God enough to share with others is a fountain that will never run dry.

Stay Weird,