My department at work just finished our United Way fundraiser. We put on a spaghetti lunch for the staff. Spaghetti, three types of sauce, meatballs, salad, bread, a homemade cupcake and a beverage. We provided this at $6.00 a meal.
There were many other departments doing similar things throughout our fundraising season. They would provide meals or raffle off a goodie basket or IPOD. It got me thinking about the state of charitable giving. Have we reduced our giving to a “what’s in it for me” mentality. Angela and I support St. Judes, not just because it’s a great cause but because we get useful return address labels too. Do many of us give to such and such charity with the idea that we are getting something out of it other than a warm fuzzy feeling and the knowledge we did the right thing? Is giving for the sake of giving a lost art?
I don’t believe this is always the case, in fact there are some who have encouraged me by their willingness to give with no promise of receiving anything in return. Jared White gave a sizable gift when we set out to start LifePoint. Gary & Suzanne Wild gave regular offerings when LifePoint was going through an extremely difficult time financially. Without their generosity we might not have even made it through our first year. And my close friends, Zack & Hollie, support LifePoint eventhough they are unable to to attend. All of these people have been a huge encouragement to me on my own journey. They compel me to think bigger and hurt deeper.
The question must not be, what’s in it for me but what’s in me for others.
Kevin says:
I thought about reading this post, but then I though…What’s in it for me?
Just kidding, great post. See, I gave you a compliment even though there was nothing in it for me.
Jared White says:
Well now, you place me on too high a pedestal. I’m expecting a hundred-fold return from God for everything I give, so really what you received was just me making a whole lot of dough in the future. Gotta love that gift of faith, baby.
OK, I’m just kidding. But to be perfectly honest, I do believe that when I am faithful to help support people as they courageously step out to do the things that God has told them to do, then some day when I’m in a similar time of need, God will raise people up to give on my account. The real issue is how much we seek to realize Jesus’ words: it is better to give than to receive. If everyone freely gave, maybe everyone would naturally receive. That’s better than the world’s attitde, which is that life is about accumulation.
Just a thought. 🙂