Be a 17 second miracle: a giving challenge

My sister and I occasionally pick up audio books from the library to help pass the time when we have mindless tasks ahead or just a lot of foreseen driving.  My sister is great about pumping through literature, and I listen to audio books with her to say that I've "read" a novel in the past year.

After exhausting our self-generated ideas of audio books, we started selecting books that are completely new to us.  Doing that is never exactly safe or fool-proof.  We have landed on books that we didn't finish, books that we didn't care for, books that were narrated by obnoxious voices, and a handful of books that have been strangely satisfying.  One such of these latter books, The Seventeen Second Miracle, was an audio book that Tirzah picked up this summer and we listen to during one of our extensive painting jobs.

It actually sounded a bit sketchy to me, so I listened really closely to identify the sketchy part. 😏  Pretty soon, though, I was caught up in the story and really hoping that there wouldn't be any reason to not finish the book.  The story line was tight and just mysterious enough to keep the audience curious.  The characters were each unique and quirky...and not always likable.  😁  It turned out that there were also 2 incredible, relevant messages of application for us.

First, The Seventeen Second Miracle reminds us that life is far too short to live like we are in control when we don't actually know what life is going to hold from second to second.  This book reminded me of something I seem to easily forget: every single second of life ought to be lived at its best, because any second could be my last.

Secondly, this book challenges us to become more sensitive to those around us.  We don't know what is going on in the background of other people's lives, but we can create a sacrificial habit of impacting each other's lives by going out of our way for only a few seconds to serve.  We can be givers in ways that seem small...but you never know how big it will feel to the recipient.

The Seventeen Second Miracle has prompted me to be a better giver so that I can make the most of every second I'm given in life.  Sure, maybe I'll lose a few minutes or dollars helping someone else have a better day, but I think my gains will be greater than my losses.

So what would our world be like if we all started becoming 17-second miracles to those around us?  What would we be like?

With Thanksgiving only 22 days away and another year coming to a close, I want to challenge each of us to become anonymous 17-second miracles just once a week for the month of November.  There are 4 nearly-complete weeks in November, which means that we will have 4 different opportunities to purposefully give to someone else. 
While any kind of giving is a wonderful and worthy practice, I would really like this challenge to focus on giving anonymously.  I emphasize this anonymous factor because I think it helps us be more focused on solely giving.  I don't know about you, but being thanked is a way that I often find fulfillment and satisfaction from a "good deed."  I need to perfect the art of giving without needing anything--not even a simple "thank you"--in return and yet still being completely gratified, so let's practice together!
Another reason is that I want to broaden my range of giving.  I give to people I love and spend time with, but I am not so inclined to give to people who are strangers to me.  I want my life to reflect that I actually truly care about everyone, including the people I only exchange smiles with on the sidewalk....or people that I have never even seen.  The thing I love about people who pay it forward, leave some small gift behind, or scribble a random note of encouragement is that they aren't so caught up in their day or their finances that they can't give a little.  They think about the person who will come after them.

So here's how you can participate in the giving challenge in the following 4 weeks:

• Think of 4 ways (virtual bonus points for 4 different ways!) that you can anonymously give to people around you.  Don't concern yourself with making it a big gift; this can be something as simple as a note of encouragement or $5 to lift someone else's day.  Here are some simple starter ideas:

               > paying it forward at a coffee shop

               > leaving a gift card at a public location for the next person

               > mailing a note of encouragement and/or gift card to "current resident" at a random address in your phone book (and hoping this will not creep out the receiver! 😉)

• Come back here every week and leave a comment about how you incorporated this challenge into your week.
• Check in on the comments every week to hear how I've given anonymously, and get ideas from others!

Anonymously giving is so practical for us in our daily lives because life is full of thankless tasks.  Mowing the grass, washing the dishes, cooking meals, and replacing light bulbs are all things that need to be done on a regular basis, but we allow ourselves to procrastinate on those tasks because they generally go unnoticed.  Whether it's giving anonymously for a stranger or giving not-so-anonymously in your own home, serving without receiving anything in return must become a part of who we are as loving, giving people.

Do you think you could be someone else's 17 second miracle this month?