Thanks & Giving

Post Author: Diana Carroll

Fall is a time of giving thanks in many cultures, particularly in the northern hemisphere, as it is our season of harvest. Fall is also the time of the annual giving campaign in many churches, also known as “stewardship season” or “pledge season.” Many people love celebrating Thanksgiving or Harvest Festival or similar holidays, but they dread coming to church to hear how they need to give more money to keep the lights on or pay the pastor.

Giving thanks and giving to others are both central to a life of faith, but we don’t always connect the dots between the two. There is an intimate relationship between thankfulness and generosity, between giving thanks and just plain giving. Genuine gratitude rarely stops at words or thoughts alone. It spills over into actions, gifts, service, cards. Gratitude transforms people and encourages them to respond to generosity with more generosity.

During the month of November, The Young Clergy Women Project would like to share with you the things that we are grateful for. We would also like to share the ways that gratitude has (sometimes) made us more generous. All of the articles on Fidelia’s Sisters in November will be related to the themes of gratitude and generosity. We invite you to share your photos and thoughts of giving thanks, giving back, and giving generously using the hashtag #ThanksLiving14 on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or whatever platform you prefer! Each day, we’ll offer a different word to inspire your images and stories.

At Fidelia’s Sisters, our archive of articles bears witness to the reality that life as a young clergy woman is often very hard. But it is also often very joyful. Like all human beings, we young clergy women can easily find ourselves focusing only on the negative side of our experiences. We forget to acknowledge and share the good stuff: the moments of grace and glory. We need to be reminded to stop and give thanks for the gifts we have received and the ones we’ve been enabled to give.