Give Back Friday

No, that’s not a typo.

For the past 40 years we’ve been calling today “Black Friday” – a term coined to reflect the date when stores would financially move from red (loss) to black (profit). Back when accounting records were actually kept by hand, the books were tallied with black and red pens.

I am in no position, nor do I have any desire, to criticize retail establishments for hyping today and trying to turn a profit. If somebody wants to camp out the night before – or stand in a long line before the crack of dawn – to buy a video game, hey, more power to them! As you might imagine, I’m a fan of capitalism. It might not be a perfect system, but it has served this great nation quite well.  Like you, I have many friends in business and frequent all types of stores.

But all the talk of consumerism and commercialism, especially on this day, leads me to wonder if we might consider turning the tables.

Think about what would happen if for every dollar we spent on a gift today, we gave an equal amount to a local soup kitchen.

Hence my idea for calling today “Give Back Friday.”

A radical idea?

Just imagine what might happen.

History tells us that it’s possible to give back – and keep American enterprise in the black. It doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition.

The Lord has been so generous to us; it’s not asking too much to give back to Him.

For now, hope you all are having a great Thanksgiving weekend.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, finances November 22, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura