It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Right? Ok, so it’s the craziest time of the year anyway. I don’t know about all of you, but life gets pretty hairy for me this time of year. I work as a pre-op and recovery room nurse and we call this time of the year the “deductible dash.” Everyone has met their deductible and wants to get that last surgery before January 1st. So how do we survive the holidays? AND actually, enjoy them?
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we like to do this thing every December called Light the World. You don’t have to be a member of our church to join us in this tradition. Light the World is about offering service and kindness, one small act at a time. Why would you want to add one more thing to your list this time of the year? Well, let me tell you.
I have been reading The How of Happiness lately. This is a really interesting book. As the cover says, it’s a scientific way of looking at happiness. One of the things the author talks about is the proven benefits of serving others. When we help others, we have a more positive and generous attitude toward our fellow men. Helping others makes us feel more connected to our communities and the people around us. It helps relieve our guilt and worry when we watch others go through tough times and we aren’t able to help. It makes us more grateful for what we have and see blessings in our own situations.
But that’s not all! Serving can help boost our confidence and give us the courage to find our gifts and talents. Maybe your really good at applique and didn’t even know it because you were too scared to try. Serving others aids our fight against depression and gives us self worth and confidence.
It’s nice to think that when we serve it’s about other people, but we actually receive the real benefit. In one study they did, the people who were serving others had a 7-times greater boost in their happiness than those being served!
The best part of all this is that you don’t have to give away your life savings or become Mother Theresa to serve others. Little acts of service and kindness are just as beneficial! A simple smile. A small text or note of appreciation. All service helps us! Whoot Whoot!
So join me and my friends as we Light the World with Christians from all faiths. Download the calendar using the Light the World link here– and start sharing simple acts of service every day. On the website, you can even sign up to receive a text each day to give you the daily service challenge!
If we all give a little light each day, we can change the world!
The Grateful Quilter 