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The Gift of Giving
October 2007
I well remember when the children were
very young and I would be near them as they ate some snack like a
cracker. The entire area around their mouth would be wet with crumbs
stuck to their cheeks. It was fun watching them eat. On occasion they
would want to share and would offer up a soggy piece of something. The
look on their face was one of delight, as I would take that saliva
soaked morsel into my mouth and quickly swallow!
They didn't know my inward hesitation but they did so enjoy that time of sharing. However, I must admit that after one bite I was always too full for another, so I declined further offers.
I thought of those times again recently as I watched some children place their offering into the offering plate during worship. They seemed so happy to be able to do such a grownup thing. Their giving brought them joy.
We who are no longer children tend to forget the joy we once knew when we freely gave. The pressures of life and the strain of our cost of living have suppressed our joy and restricted willingness to gladly share what we have. Too often giving has stopped being a joy and become an obligation, a burden, or a guilt trip called our “fair share.” The joy is gone because we no longer remember that all we have is a gift and what we give is an expression of gratitude.
Is there a way to return to joyful giving? Surely there is! It begins with an acknowledgment that all that we receive is a gift. Perhaps we have worked hard and feel we deserve what we have. I would remind us that many people work much harder and longer than we yet receive much less. Why should that be? It could be otherwise. There is no better explanation than the simple truth that what we have is a gift. We have received graciously and generously.
The next step to joyful giving is to practice gratitude. When giving our gift let us offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the occasion to give back to God a portion of what we have gladly received. Practicing gratitude will increase our joy and help us become vessels of blessing to others.
To be able to give is a gift because we are the benefactors of God's generosity.
Grace and Peace,
They didn't know my inward hesitation but they did so enjoy that time of sharing. However, I must admit that after one bite I was always too full for another, so I declined further offers.
I thought of those times again recently as I watched some children place their offering into the offering plate during worship. They seemed so happy to be able to do such a grownup thing. Their giving brought them joy.
We who are no longer children tend to forget the joy we once knew when we freely gave. The pressures of life and the strain of our cost of living have suppressed our joy and restricted willingness to gladly share what we have. Too often giving has stopped being a joy and become an obligation, a burden, or a guilt trip called our “fair share.” The joy is gone because we no longer remember that all we have is a gift and what we give is an expression of gratitude.
Is there a way to return to joyful giving? Surely there is! It begins with an acknowledgment that all that we receive is a gift. Perhaps we have worked hard and feel we deserve what we have. I would remind us that many people work much harder and longer than we yet receive much less. Why should that be? It could be otherwise. There is no better explanation than the simple truth that what we have is a gift. We have received graciously and generously.
The next step to joyful giving is to practice gratitude. When giving our gift let us offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the occasion to give back to God a portion of what we have gladly received. Practicing gratitude will increase our joy and help us become vessels of blessing to others.
To be able to give is a gift because we are the benefactors of God's generosity.
Grace and Peace,
David