When there is rampant need and you have limited resources how do you decide how to give? Do you take each request, pray, and give as you see fit? Or is it all just first come first served? Or can one take a middle road of giving an item instead of money, food for the hungry or a blanket for the cold? Is giving a material thing even the only way to give? For me, unsolicited giving, taking others by surprise, and meeting ones need at a deep level is one of my greatest joys. Yet, when it comes to a personal request of people struggling asking me for specific things, I start noticing how hard it is to give, and how my heart often hardens. I would rather hear about a need at a distance and give large and anonymously than to have someone approach me on the street and ask me for something small. Part of this, I think, is at a distance I have time and resources to research and plan a helpful attack. Whereas when it is personal and immediate, I have no way to know if something will be put to good use or abused. And the most frustrating part is I don’t know if my mental philosophy is just me being a good steward or using that as an excuse to not trust people, and not give generously. This all becomes even more complicated and difficult our fast paced, impersonal, materialistic society.
Ideally for me, I would like to invest in these people personally. But then what happens when you run into need outside of your community where it becomes difficult if not impossible to personally invest? I believe it is my responsibility to find people in my immediate community in need and come along side them to help with a more long-term and sustainable solution to meet those needs. To build a relationship where there is trust and love, so things are given freely out of love rather than of obligation. However, what happens when this is not possible? What happens when these people are outside of the realm where we can realistically invest in their lives? Is it only our responsibility, or does it require something more, from other communities in other areas, other “churches”, and other individuals trying to do what is right? For many it may seem like an unrealistic thing, can’t we just write a check and move on, we did our giving for the month? I don’t think we can. Throughout Scripture we are called to love, “Love God first, love your neighbor”, “Love is the fulfillment of the Law” (Romans 13) and in case you were wondering I am pretty sure the loving God part perpetuates the loving neighbor part. I also believe a lot more goes into love than just giving what is asked for or required. Even Maslow in his hierarchy of needs has the first few taken up with things that have to do with being showed love and respect.
Lastly a misnomer that I believe keeps people from giving is that they do not have enough, or cannot fully meet a need. Recently, we went to visit a Maasai village and were trying to bring something small (tea and sugar) that would be a gesture of kindness and something that would help them. However, just before we arrived we were told there were over fifty households in this village, and we could not take the amount of tea or sugar needed for the whole community so we best just take money instead. While I was struggling with this cultural issue in my mind and trying to communicate why I would rather not take money to give to a chief, which may never be seen by anyone else. Unfortunately, giving money creates a perception of being a source of money rather than the idea of being present for relationships, which is what we were trying to establish for ourselves.
I was reminded by a Maasai friend standing nearby, “A gift is not given because it is enough”. We do not give simply because we can meet a need, nor should we neglect to give if we cannot meet a need. I believe we give because we have joy in our hearts, and we wish to share that joy with others, even more so with those especially in need of some joy. One of my favorite thoughts on this came from one of John Piper’s earlier books, Desiring God. He says if you go somewhere and have the best hamburger of your life, you are not going to go back home and pretend that it never happened. No, you are going to tell everyone about it. Especially those who you know would appreciate it, or are in real need of that juicy hamburger! The joy we have experienced can only be fulfilled and expanded upon when we share it with others. It is my prayer that we all learn how to give joyfully, sacrificially, and personally in ways which show the unconditional love that has been bestowed upon us by our Creator.
