It is more blessed to give than to receive.
How many times will you hear these wise words this holiday season? This is my favorite time of year primarily because of this season’s emphasis on giving. The charitable and gift-giving yearnings among us all are stoked and encouraged more in December than at any other time of the year. This spirit is encapsulated and affirmed in what might be our favorite Christmas saying: It is more blessed to give than to receive.
The axiom could not be truer. Giving is a joy. Research suggests that generous people are happier people. Generous countries are happier countries. Benevolence brings vibrancy to our faith. Historically, openhandedness and abundant giving have been the fragrance of the Church. Part of our mandate as Christians includes a call to a countercultural understanding of our role as stewards, rather than owners, of our time and treasure. I’ll just speak for myself, but my hunch is others will resonate: My charity often robs the poor of the opportunity to give, rather than encouraging generosity.
We hold a collective agreement that giving is more blessed than receiving. Accordingly, we need to invest more energy and intentionality around promoting generosity among the people to whom we give. When the poor become more than recipients, actually becoming donors and volunteers themselves, the very soul of generosity is unleashed.
Pay it forward-ism should be our rally cry. Stories from places Romania and Uganda compel me to give in this way:
Inspired by the generosity of donors to their country, a group of Romanians determined to replicate this generosity themselves. This month, 50 microfinance clients of HOPE’s partner program in Romania participated in funding and packaging over 12,000 Christmas shoeboxes for orphans in their community.
In Uganda, one man—Bishop Hannington—has catalyzed an entire community around this concept. Even though the town was recovering from a war, and poor in every way imaginable, he preached a surprising and seemingly impossible message of generosity. Even the very poorest in this community responded to his call to live generously. One woman, both elderly and crippled, put an exclamation point on Bishop Hannington’s message (4:57 in the video):
I heard what was taking place. And even though I am crippled, I, too, wanted to give.
What God did there through His church is nothing short of a miracle. The story will be an encouragement to you as we enter fully into the season of giving.
Yes – well said, Chris! In Matthew 9, Jesus talks about where our true treasures are, there our hearts will be also. If these treasures are charitable – that’s where our hearts (and joy) will be. If these treasures are of material gain – that’s where our hearts (and probable lack of joy) will be.
I’ve heard it said, and I fully believe, that you can measure where someone’s heart truly is by examining their date book (updated to read: BlackBerry/iPhone) and checkbook. Who are we spending more on? Others or ourselves? What’s a larger portion of our budget: our giving or our savings? Good questions to wrestle through.
Oops – and by Matthew 9 I mean Matthew 6.
This is a fantastic example of the community organizing itself around its assets and not becoming a victim, dependent on aid. There are clearly times for relief work, and believers should be there boldly, but as soon as relief can give way to reconstruction and development and allow the local assets to be maximized we must do our best to facilitate that so that a sustainable, just economy is left in our place.
Jeremy, thanks for the thoughts. When we begin to recognize our own poverty, and our complete dependence upon God’s redemptive work in our own lives, it changes how we think about philanthropy. We, too, are giving out of response to the generosity bestowed upon us.
Jeff, great thoughts re: relief, development, etc. You are spot-on. I love Brian Fikkert’s thoughts on this very concept in “When Helping Hurts” — have you read that book yet?
So good!!