The pastor and author, Warren Wiersbe has remarked that “The trouble with too many of us is that we think God called us to be manufacturers when He really called us to be distributors.” He was making the point that all too often we begin to think that everything depends on US!

Particularly during the holiday season, we are burdened with expectations (some self-imposed) and lots of comparisons. We worry that our home doesn’t sparkle like all the others on the street. We fret that our holiday meals won’t match our mother-in-law’s gourmet feasts. We fear that the gifts we can give are inadequate.

When we cave into that kind of senseless stress, we have forgotten that God alone has all the resources to meet the needs in our lives. We start to sound like the apostles on the day of the feeding of the 5000. When they saw all those people needing a meal, their first reaction was to inventory their meager supplies-rather than lean into the abundance available from the Lord.

We are not meant to be self-perpetuating reservoirs. We are meant to be channels of His grace.

It’s fine to decorate our home. It’s okay to spend time planning for the holiday meals. And it’s appropriate to consider the kinds of gifts we want to give… to a point.

God has not called us to dredge up the energy, resources, and talents necessary to do His work. He has called us to represent Him. He has called us to pass along the grace that He has provided. He has called us to exemplify His character.

So, for the next few weeks, let’s all focus less on our own abilities and resources. Let’s play “hot potato” with His blessings and generously pass them along.

Instead of focusing on the state of our decorations, how about we visit someone who can no longer get up on a ladder and help decorate their place. How about fixing a simple meal and dropping it off at a friend’s house giving a newborn’s mom the night off.

Or how about baking some good old fashion Toll House cookies and sharing them with the guys down at your local fire station.

All of those ideas (and dozens of others I know you can think of) would help us remember that Jesus really is the reason for the season and it is His resources that sustain our world. We are distributors of His love. It is supposed to flow through us…like a torrent, not a trickling brook.

With that kind of mindset, the holidays are so much more meaningful. What we have, we gladly share. What we know, we pass along. And for what He has blessed us with, we say thank you!