Make Your Community Better, part four

2 Corinthians 9:7

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Part Four: Give with a passion

Show some passion for doing what you love. Many people get involved in a job they love, but allow the mundaneness of everyday life to drag all the joy out of it. After a while, they are burned out and uninterested in something that used to make them excited to go to work. 

If this is you, take a moment to reflect on the reasons you used to love what you do. Find out if there is anything still in you that thrills you about that job. You can make a list of ways you used to do things and revisit them one by one to see if you can revitalize your passion. 

Then jump in. Dive into your job with renewed vigor. Use your job as a ministry where you can serve your coworkers and customers with the renewed passion that is building up in you.

Serve with verve. Give to others with exuberance and put some pep in your step. 

Coming up: Part Five! 

Want to start at the beginning? Here's Part One.

Make Your Community Better, part three

Matthew 5:41  

If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.

Part Three: Give your job the extra effort

Part Two was about having a work ethic. This is about putting in the extra effort.

There are many ways to go above and beyond. One is taking advantage of the opportunities that pop up without warning. This requires you to be observant, selfless, and generous.

You can turn “Must I” into “May I”. For instance, don’t say, “Must I pick up after someone else?” Instead, turn that into, “May I pick up that trash on the floor for you?” Offering to clear a table or put away items that were out for a project will set the example for others. You can do a quiet gift of service and see others learning in your wake. Start a tidal wave of good deeds in your community with small daily acts.

Attitude shows up in the body language. You’ll be impressive when people see the twinkle of joy in your eye as you serve others without whining. Just doing the job is one thing, but doing it with a smile is impressive. 

Coming up: Part Four! 

Want to start at the beginning? Here's Part One.

Make Your Community Better, part two

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Part Two: Have a work ethic

A work ethic isn’t just about working at your career. You can give your effort to cleaning up after picnic in the park. You can put a little more care and concern for others in whatever you spend your time on. 

If you buy a hamburger at a fast food restaurant, you expect them to have a consistently good product and consistent service. If you expect that from others, you can give that. Shouldn’t we consider what we give to our community on a daily basis? 

Doing good works that God has prepared in advance is easier when you always give your best—just because you can. No one else can use your gifts the way you do. It’s your choice to bring you’re A-game wherever you go.

Be prepared. In your job, at home, or at play, you know what you will need to have with you. Try to have what you need in advance of needing it. This makes you look good to your friends, family, and employer. 

Keep reading! Here's Part Three. 

Want to see Part One? It's right here.

Make Your Community Better, part one

2 Thessalonians 1:3

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.

I love to learn from those around me. If you’re like me, you’ve noticed some of your friends and neighbors are setting a good example of kindness and patience in your neighborhood.

Don’t you just love that?

When you give kindness and patience, you receive a benefit as well. So here are five things I’ve seen others do in my community that we can all benefit from.

Part One: Be on time

We all have different pressures put on us by our schedules. If you have an appointment with a lawyer, a doctor, your child’s teacher, or some other professional, recognize that they have other things to do and may not be able to fit you into their day if you’re 20 minutes late. The next person in line for an appointment won’t want to share their appointment time with you. If you’re considerate of the feelings of others, you’ll be considerate of their time too.

If you are usually on time, great! But you still have to be patient with those who are not yet able to be at their appointments on time. Be the one who is on time all of the time and avoid getting any attitude about it.

You don’t know what kind of secret appointments God may have made for you. Stay humble and be where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there. This is a good way to show God that you’re available to be used by him whenever he puts someone in your path who needs to hear his love from you. 

Keep reading! Here's Part Two.

With God, All Things Are Possible

Matthew 19:26

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

In 2016, I started writing again in the hope that I would push past all the barriers that held me back from publishing for the last two decades. 

In an effort to stay focused, I went on a writing retreat and wrote the first third of a new novel. But life got in the way. My writing was paused while I juggled all of the different areas of my responsibilities. 

I held steadfastly to the belief that I could put a product in the marketplace and earn some money. The plan was to produce a book that would be beneficial to my readers. So I wrote Heroine: Rising to the Challenge, a nonfiction book for women. In a few short months, I edited and formatted it, and I bought a book cover.

I published that book in January of 2017. 

The struggle of self-publishing taught me a lot. The book in my hands was proof that I could actually create a book that other people would pay me real money for. So I continued the struggle to produce a novel. 

Over the years, I had started plenty of novels. I never really stopped writing, just hopped from one story to the next as I got stuck in each one. In an effort to make sure my novel was the best it could be, I hired a writing coach who would steer me around the possible problems and help me avoid big mistakes. I hired an editor and a formatter to make the product look professional and to improve the book’s readability. 

Only eleven short months after my first book was published, I released my debut novel, The Promotion, as an ebook. 

God was the one who gave me the gift of writing, the stubbornness to keep at it, and the encouragement and support along the way. I knew God wanted me to keep writing, so I kept the giver of my gift in mind as I wrote. I wanted him to be proud of my work. 

Now I can celebrate my victory with joy and thanksgiving because I know the reason behind my accomplishment is God. 

It’s important to remember what God wants you to do. He’s the one who makes all things possible for us. 

Want to learn more about becoming a published author? Take this free course today. And read this blog post about self-publishing on Amazon.