It happened. I should’ve seen it coming. The morning air had been more frosty than crisp. The low hum of lawnmower engines on weekend afternoons had ceased. Football broadcasters discussed weather forecasts with increasing concern. There were plenty of clues it was coming. Then it happened.

It snowed.

The first snow meant it was past time to ready the garage for winter. Bikes needed hung in the rafters. The snow blower awaited its oil change. As I thought about all the things needing done to care for all my stuff, I wondered. I wondered whether stuff had accumulated in my heart like it had in my garage. I questioned if my prayers of thankfulness lacked sincerity because I looked at my day in the garage more as a chore than a privilege. I considered what is better than accumulating things.

The more stuff I have, the more I have to care for and carry. The more I carry, the harder it is to receive the embrace of Jesus. When my arms are full with yard tools, drop cords, and Christmas lights, my arms are too full for Him. Clinging to the stuff of this world, my hands are closed to His blessings.

There’s nothing wrong with having a couple rakes and a leaf blower. They’re handy, but there’s a danger in accumulating stuff we don’t need. Living in the wealthiest nation in human history fosters a danger for our hearts. Our minds begin trusting the stuff. We seek more of what we trust. Soon our hearts cling to material things even though Jesus instructs us that it is best to put our trust in Him. Clinging to what is good keeps us from what is best.

Thanksgiving begins the annual season where our hearts should be moved to gratitude. We have the tools needed to move the winter snows. We have family and friends around the table. We have an ample feast to send guests home with leftovers. We give thanks and dig in. Gratitude doesn’t end in giving thanks. Gratitude gives back, and the Christmas season is the perfect season for giving.

There’s something magical when we give. Centuries ago, a boy brought five loaves of bread and two fish when he went to see Jesus. The stories being told about Jesus were like nothing he’d ever heard. Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and spoke truth with real authority. Like the boy, thousands of others had come. Some were terminally ill. Others were castoffs, wandering the wastes without any meaningful human connection. Many were curious.

All of them were hungry, but there was no turkey, mashed potatoes, or dressing. There was no Thanksgiving feast. The boy, with his five loaves and two fish, could have kept the loaves and fish for himself and his companions. He could have distributed his meager rations to those in the crowd nearest to him. He did neither. Rather, he brought his loaves and fishes to Jesus. Jesus prayed a sincere prayer of thankfulness, and he multiplied the boy’s gift beyond anything the boy could have asked or imagined. In the hands of Jesus five loaves and two fishes fed and filled thousands of people, and the surplus was loaded into baskets.

This is the magic of God’s economy. There’s no inflation. There’s no scarcity. In the hands of Jesus there is enough for all. His storehouse never runs out. On that day, the boy with five loaves and two fish experienced these truths firsthand. The generosity of Jesus surpassed his wildest expectations. He learned the power of giving to Jesus, and I believe it was one of the most important experiences of his life.

Like the boy, we can give and give freely. Church missions near-and-far urgently need support. Shop With a Cop lifts up families each holiday season, and they need donations to continue that mission. Your generosity makes a difference for children and families supported by Big Brothers Big Sisters mentorships and Child Adolescent and Peer Support services. Financial and in-kind donations to God’s Way Ministries provide housing and essential support for those in recovery from addiction. Adopt a Veteran ensures that no one who has served in the military gets left behind at Christmas. The United Way is pursuing an ambitious $900,000 campaign goal to multiply the impact of charitable giving in Marshall County.

Let’s give together. Someone here in Marshall County is pursuing a mission that speaks to your heart. Find that mission. Support that mission. Then, instead of being planted amongst the stack of totes in the garage, we will be like trees planted by the water. We’ll bear fruit for the hungry. We’ll provide shade for the weary. We’ll sustain the lives of the needy.

Best of all, we’ll have freedom from all the stuff we can’t take with us anyway.

Please search your heart and give your support to the service-mission most important to you. Give cheerfully. Give generously. Give and let Jesus exceed your expectations.

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Jordan Gaffney is the Marshall County Attorney.