Give 10% of Government's Christmas Bonus to Charity

Give Away 10% of Government's Christmas Bonus to Charity

Over these next two weeks the Australian Federal Government will be giving $1,000 per child to parents on low income, and $1,400 to single and $2,100 to couples with a senior card. These government handouts (costing a total of $10 billion) were totally unexpected a couple of months ago.

The message from the government is that this short term stimulus package is designed to boost the economy, protect jobs and avoid a recession. The Prime Minister, and other senior government officials, have been urging those receiving the handout to spend it - and before Christmas.

Supposedly, consumption is the cure for our current economic ills. Now I recognise that many of the people receiving this bonus are in desperate need. They have suffered under Australia's high interest rates and petrol prices over the last year or two. But I dispute the assumption that material prosperity is the sole (or even main) measure of our performance as a nation. The best way to break a materialistic mindset is to maintain a practice of generosity through a habit of giving.

One discipline, a spiritual discipline, that we could put in place is to give away 10% of this government windfall to a charity or not-for-profit organisation. Giving away $100 or $200 reminds us that we are not just consumers, we are citizens. We are not victims of financial circumstances, we have a choice.

What are some reasons we should give away 10% of this bonus?

1. In times of economic downturn the demands on charities goes up and the donations to charities goes down;
2. We commit to being citizens, not just consumers;
3. We can involve our children in deciding which charity to support - thus instilling in them the value of generosity;
4. We reflect the generosity of God who gave His Son, Jesus to us, which we remember at Christmas;
5. At Christmas lunch, you will feel better about helping the Salvos or Wesley Mission or ... rather than having spent that extra $100 on an imported toy which now lies broken on the floor;
6. We complain about the greed of corporate executives who get huge bonuses and seem to spend them selfishly. Now is our opportunity to demonstrate generosity with a Christmas bonus.