Giving Like a Gazelle: How Believers Excel at Meeting the Needs of Their Community

As Thanksgiving approaches, many of us turn our thoughts toward gratitude. We reflect on the blessings that fill our lives and how we might share those blessings with others. In this season of giving, the story of a woman named Tabitha tucked away in the book of Acts, shines with inspiration. Her name literally means “gazelle,” the member of the antelope species well known in the east.

Tabitha’s life was as swift and graceful as her namesake. She was known in her community not for her wealth or titles but for her heart, hands, and giving spirit. Her life and name hint at an unexpected lesson about how believers excel at meeting the needs of the community around us.

The Gift of a Gazelle Heart

In Acts 9:36-43, we meet Tabitha. Her story doesn’t come with a long list of accolades or achievements. There’s no mention of her giving grand speeches or amassing wealth. Instead, her legacy was built from simple acts of kindness. She was known for making clothes for widows and meeting the needs of her community, and because of that, she was beloved.

The story goes that Tabitha grew ill and passed away, and her community mourned her deeply. So deeply, in fact, that they reached out to the apostle Peter and urged him to come quickly. When Peter arrived, he found the room where her body lay filled with grieving widows, each of them holding the garments Tabitha had made. Her kindness had touched so many lives that they simply couldn’t imagine their community without her.

And then, in an incredible act of God’s grace, Peter prayed, and Tabitha was restored to life. Can you imagine the joy and awe that filled that room? Her life of giving was quite literally revived—a testament to how God values a heart of service.

Tabitha’s story challenges us to look beyond accolades and titles. What mattered most about her life wasn’t what she had but what she gave. She reminds us that we don’t have to be extraordinary to make a difference. Sometimes, the most significant impact comes from small, consistent acts of kindness.

When Giving Feels Urgent

Tabitha’s name means “gazelle,” an animal well known for its grace, speed, and agility. In ancient times, the gazelle was a symbol of beauty and life, admired for its ability to move swiftly in the face of danger. And in a way, this captures the spirit of giving.

A gazelle can run up to sixty-five miles per hour to escape predators, but even a creature this fast still has predators it can’t outrun. Take the cheetah, for example—the fastest land animal, reaching speeds over seventy miles per hour. When a gazelle finds itself chased by a cheetah, it can’t outrun it. Instead, the gazelle relies on something else: its ability to maneuver, twist, and leap, to zigzag and prance. It may not be able to escape forever, but for that moment, it does everything it can to stay ahead.

The truth is, we’re a lot like the gazelle. We all face a “predator” in the form of time. We can’t outrun it. Every one of us knows that our days are limited. We have only so much time to make a difference. So what do we do? We move with purpose. We don’t wait for the perfect moment to start giving. We give now. We use each opportunity we have to serve others because we know how precious each moment is.

Tabitha didn’t wait. She saw needs and met them, one by one, with a needle and thread. She gave while she could, and in doing so, she created a lasting legacy.

The Leap of Giving

One of the gazelle’s most fascinating maneuvers is called “pronking.” In the wild, when a gazelle is being chased, it sometimes leaps straight up into the air, stiff-legged, in a move that seems almost out of place. Pronking is a mystery to scientists. Why would a gazelle waste precious time and energy on a move that seems to make it more visible to a predator? Some believe it’s a signal to the predator that it has been spotted. Others think it’s a display of the gazelle’s fitness, a way of showing that it won’t be an easy catch.

For believers, giving is a bit like pronking. It’s not always easy. Sometimes, it requires time, effort, and vulnerability. Like the gazelle’s leap, it can make us feel exposed and even uncomfortable. But giving is a leap worth taking. It’s a declaration that, while we may not have forever, we’re choosing to make a difference now.

When we give, we’re not doing it for applause or recognition. We’re doing it because we know that each leap, each act of kindness, can make a difference. Like the gazelle leaping into the air, our giving says, “I’m here. I see the need. I’m willing to serve.”

A Legacy of Love

The story of Tabitha doesn’t end with her life being restored; it continues in the lives of those she touched. Her community didn’t remember her for her wealth or power but for her compassion. She left behind a legacy of love woven into the fabric of her community.

When she was gone, her absence was felt, and that’s the kind of legacy each of us can leave behind. What will people remember about us? Will our lives leave a gap that others feel? Not because of what we had, but because of what we gave?

Tabitha’s story is an invitation to ask ourselves, “What am I doing with the time I have? Am I waiting for the perfect moment to make a difference, or am I seizing opportunities as they come?” We don’t need fame or fortune to leave a legacy. All it takes is a heart willing to serve.

Giving Without Limits

To give like a gazelle is to give freely, fully, and without reservation. It’s to understand that while we may not have unlimited resources, we have something of value to offer—our time, our kindness, and our compassion. The beauty of giving is that it’s available to everyone, regardless of status or wealth. Each of us has the potential to meet needs in our own way, just as Tabitha did with her humble skill of sewing.

The question is, will we take the leap? Will we give while we can? Just as the gazelle leaps, giving everything it has in the face of its predator, we too are called to give with abandon before the cheetah of death makes its final attack. It’s a beautiful, courageous thing to pour ourselves out for the sake of others.

The Heart of a Gazelle

As we approach Thanksgiving, let’s take a moment to reflect on the legacy we’re building. Like Tabitha, we don’t have to do grand things to make a difference. Often, it’s the quiet acts of love, the unnoticed moments of giving, that leave the biggest impact. When our time here is done, let it be said that we gave like gazelles—that we didn’t wait or hold back, but that we lept at every chance to pour ourselves out for the sake of others.

The next time you see a gazelle leaping across a field, remember Tabitha. Remember that you, too, have the chance to meet needs, create a legacy, and leave a mark on your community. And as you give, may you leap with joy, knowing that each act of kindness is a step toward a life well-lived—a life given for others.