What happens when we 'Share the Blessing'?

Stories of Hope from Share the Blessing 2026

At a Glance

Each year, LifeGuide sends a group of clients a small cash gift (usually $50) with the instructions to “pass it on”. What follows are powerful reminders of how God can use small, faithful acts of generosity to meet real needs, provide hope, and multiply in ways we never expected. The stories below come from LifeGuide clients who participated in our annual Share the Blessing campaign* and saw how God can take a gift and multiply its impact.

What is Share the Blessing?

Share the Blessing is a campaign designed to help foster generosity and spread hope during the holiday season. Every December, we will randomly select a small number of our clients and send them clients a cash gift, usually $50. We simply ask them to think about someone they feel could use an unexpected blessing, and pass it on—no strings attached.

Participants are free to give the gift in whatever way feels most appropriate. There’s no expectation—just an opportunity to notice those around us and respond.

Why We Do This

As Christians, we’re called to live out generosity in response to Christ’s extravagant love towards us. In 1 Chronicles 29:14, King David prays:

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”

Here at LifeGuide, we believe that we’re stewards, not owners. In other words, everything we have is a gift, coming from our generous Heavenly Father. Share the Blessing is one small way we seek to live out that truth — trusting God to work through simple, faithful acts of giving. And every year, we’re reminded that God often multiplies these moments far beyond what we could plan or predict.

May the stories below bless and encourage you as much as they have blessed and encouraged us!

Stories From This Year’s Participants

Note: Names have been edited to protect privacy. Stories are largely unedited (aside from minor clarity or spelling edits) so you can experience them in each participant’s own words.

Blessing in the Midst of Crisis

We received the $50 from LifeGuide along with instructions to pass it on, which we were happy to do. We have a gentleman we have gotten to know from Haiti who has had a series of setbacks in his life lately. He needed to reapply for a green card in order to work. He lost his job due to lack of a green card. He was in limbo. He had been sending money back to his family in Haiti as well as raising funds to supply supplies for a school in Haiti. Having lost his job due to not having the required documentation, he was struggling to pay his bills, nonetheless sending money to family in Haiti. Then the hurricane came and destroyed his family home in Haiti and destroyed their garden and livestock, which was their source of income. He showed us pictures of his home without a roof and the family huddled inside. We gave the money to him and told him to use it where he seemed best. He is always extremely grateful whenever he receives assistance. I am confident he will use the money wisely.

When we received the card with the $50 for Share the Blessing, we were initially unsure about what to do with it. However, my wife called our church office and the office manager suggested that a donation to a family in town that had recently lost their house to a fire might be a good cause. We contributed to the GoFundMe account for that family. Thank you for the opportunity.

I was a recipient of one of the “Share the Blessing” gifts from LifeGuide. I was trying to think of a person who might need it most and had trouble deciding. I knew several who could use it but wasn’t sure how they would receive it. Then one morning I prayed and asked God to direct my giving. Later that morning, I learned of a woman who brings her children to the after-school program at our church who had had a fire in their home. The person who told me about her thinks she is a single mom who supports her family. I felt this was a clear answer to my prayer and gave the envelope to the church staff person who directs the program. She thanked me and assured me that the mother would be very appreciative. On the card, which said “Just Because…”, I added “God loves you.” Thanks so much, LifeGuide, for Sharing the Blessing. What a great idea!!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to be part of LifeGuide’s Share the Blessing campaign. We shared LifeGuide’s gift three times. Once we opened our eyes to the possibilities of sharing directly with individuals, we saw opportunities everywhere to let people know they are seen and appreciated. The first time we shared LifeGuide’s gift was at Giant. We overheard a woman crying on the phone and telling her elderly father that she didn’t have the money to pick up his medication this month. We asked her how much she needed, took the money ($80) out of the ATM, and gave it to her. She immediately called her father to tell him the good news. They were happy, but we were even happier knowing that we could help. The second time we shared LifeGuide’s gift was at the Atlanta airport. A custodian was kindly and cheerily going about his work and wishing travelers well. We noticed that most people seemed to ignore him. My husband thanked him for what he did to make the travel experience better for everyone and handed him $20. The final time we shared LifeGuide’s gift was with a local horse trainer who is recovering from an injury and cannot work. We understand that she feels financial pressure to take care of her family and their horses during this difficult season. We put LifeGuide’s card with $50 anonymously into her mailbox. Thank you for the opportunity to make a contribution. It has been a gift to us.

Easing Financial Strain

My Share the Blessing dollars went to a former co-worker who has always struggled financially. She lives paycheck to paycheck and in debt. In addition to her financial worries, she is now caring for her elderly mother. She posted on Facebook the other day that “she can never catch a break.”I know that she will appreciate the financial help that LifeGuide has provided.

We gave the $50 plus we added additional funds to a single mom of two daughters. I have her daughter in Sunday School each week. When she began coming to Sunday School, she was not attending church. Her mother works but gets no support from the girls’ dad. They live near us and are attending church regularly now.

My husband and I considered who we should give the envelope to and were going to give it to a large family of ten children, but that didn’t work out. I took the envelope, along with the girl’s sweater that she left at the church last week, in a bag to her house. I gave the bag to her mother and told her there was something in the bag for her as well. Here is the text I received from her mother: “Oh my!!! Thank you so much!! That’s so much money! We will definitely be having extra ham and pie this Christmas! Merry Christmas! And maybe the next time you stop by I could invite you in for coffee or tea. 😁🙏”

Providing Encouragement

I walked into Walmart and saw an older lady working as a greeter. She was wearing reindeer antlers on her head and appeared to really enjoy her job. I observed her for a while and felt she would be a good person to “share the blessing” with. I approached her and found out she had three adult children and seven grandchildren. It was quite busy, so I didn’t take up any more of her time and handed her the envelope and wished her a very Merry Christmas! Without knowing what was in the envelope, she thanked me and appeared quite appreciative.

I gave the $50 to the custodian in my office building. She is an older single lady who is trying to better herself, for example by kicking the smoking habit. We’ve tried to include her in some of our office events, and she always seems grateful for the friendship and camaraderie.

Teaching the Next Generation

Today I was surprised to find that I was chosen to participate in the Share the Blessing program for LifeGuide. I had just mentioned in our review meeting that I had taken that idea and used it to share with my grandchildren that Christmas is more than getting, but it is about giving. I just mailed out envelopes with personal notes to my five grandchildren asking them to find someone they could bless by giving them this $10 Amazon gift card, and I asked them to write and tell me about it. Then, having just mailed those out, I got home to my own mailbox and there was your $50 in cash.

Contributing to Restoration

We know of a woman that has a very serious heart condition. She has a 7-year-old daughter. Dad left them. Mom moved in with her to help with living expenses. Doctors do not want her to work or drive. I drive her to appointments and that kind of stuff. I asked the secretary if she could get this money to her without her knowing who gave it. We told the secretary where the money came from. She said sure. When she gave it to her, she asked where it came from. The secretary told her someone anonymous gave it. She asked if anonymous had a name. The secretary said yes, but I’m not telling you. When she saw the money, she started crying and kept saying thank you, thank you.

Two of my daughters and I presented the “Just Because” envelope with card and $50 to a homeless vet in Carlisle. The man told us “God Bless” and “thank you” for the kind gesture.

I gave the $50 to a young man who has just started coming back to church. He is a recovering addict, and when I gave him the money, he had such a look of shock on his face but he said nothing.

What a joy it was to participate in LifeGuide’s “Share the Blessing.” I chose to share that blessing with a local woman who had been in a domestic abuse situation until she found help through the ministry of Living Waters of Hope. Thanks to LifeGuide, she and her children were blessed with this gift.

Bringing It All Together

We love hearing stories each year from our Share the Blessing campaign. Stories like these remind us that all God needs is an open heart and open hands to do some amazing work. It’s not about the dollar amount or having the perfect timing…it’s about our posture and response.

As Christian faith-driven financial advisors, we’ve worked with a lot of individuals and families over the years, from all stages of life. And we’ve noticed time and again how generosity is rarely just a money decision—it’s a spiritual one. It reflects how we view money and our role as stewards. No matter where you are in your financial or giving journey, we invite you to take the next step, no matter how big or small!

This could look like:

Setting aside a “giving margin.” Even a small, recurring amount earmarked for spontaneous generosity keeps you ready to respond when something lands in front of you.
Paying attention to what moves you. Don’t get caught up in the “shoulds” (i.e., “I should be giving to XYZ…”). Instead, notice the causes, needs, or moments that stir something in you. That’s often the signal worth following.
Start before you feel ready. Here’s a big one! If you’re waiting to give until you feel perfectly set, the timing is just right, or you’ve found the perfect place to give, you’ll never feel ready. Rather, start by simply… starting.
Talk about it with someone. Whether it’s a spouse, advisor, or close friend, processing generosity out loud helps clarify what you actually want it to look like. This provides the accountability and encouragement to step out in faith and take that next right step.

For more on taking that next right step in your giving journey (including practical tips and a helpful framework for deciding where to give), check out our post on How to get out of neutral and grow in generosity.

And if you’re in or approaching retirement and wondering how generosity fits into this season, this article on tithing in retirement explores several approaches worth considering.

At LifeGuide, we believe giving shouldn’t be an afterthought in a plan… it should be a central component! Why? Because, as these Share the Blessing stories illustrate, a generous life is so often a richer life!

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*All included names have been changed to maintain anonymity. “Share the Blessing” is not part of LifeGuide Financial Advisors’ advisory services but a campaign where participation and sharing of stories are voluntary. For information about LifeGuide’s advisory services, please refer to our ADV-Disclosure Brochure.

What happens when we ‘Share the Blessing’?

By Doug Denlinger