So how did you do this past Christmas? Lots of nice gifts? Or did you get that one really big nice gift that you always wanted? Maybe somebody was particularly generous to you this year and you ‘scored big’. Any surprise gifts? As a young boy, that was all I ever wanted to know. When we all got back to school, I just wanted to know how I did relative to all my friends. Okay…yeah, that’s pretty shallow. I blame our culture though, because of course its not my fault (LOL), I am not that much different than most other people. OK, OK, this is definitely something I need to work on.
We spend a lot of time focusing on what we have received and miss that giving is actually more important than receiving. The past few months I have spent a lot of time reflecting on what a Christian should look like. What character traits should be found in those that follow Jesus? I have concluded that one of those character traits that should be evident in Jesus followers, is generosity.
I want to share with you a true story. I only heard about this after the fact. The event took place a few weeks ago, approximately a week and half before Christmas. You may remember the day. It was a Thursday. The school buses had been canceled, but the schools still opened. Many people just carried on with their workday. As the day progressed though, roads became treacherous. Highway 6 from Fergus north to Arthur got closed. Wellington 7 from Elora north through Alma became near impassable. I believe it was the town of Mapleton, knowing how bad the roads were, decided to open the Community Centre in Alma for travelers who were stuck. It became an emergency shelter. Now here is the generous part. Local town people (who will remain nameless – they know who they are), sprang into action and collected blankets and prepared food. The story also reached my ears that apparently a couple of people opened up their homes to some of the more elderly so they could get a good night’s sleep. As of writing this, I have no idea what sort of compensation these people received, if any recognition at all. What I do know is that for at least a couple of these people, that wouldn’t matter. They saw a need, and they were generous, and helped those who were stuck because of the storm.
What these people did was pretty impressive. It speaks volumes to the character of some of the folks that live in Alma. What a nice town. So let me ask you, how generous have you been? Instead of how many gifts did you receive, how well did you do at giving? How generous were you this past Christmas? How generous were you this past year? It is not so much the dollar total, as much as it is the attitude, the willingness and eagerness to share with others.
The Bible has a lot to say about this mindset of generosity, and in particular hospitality. One of my favorite passages on the subject comes from the book of Hebrews which says “Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:1-2) I wonder if some of those passersby on that stormy night were angels? Perhaps not likely, but then again, who knows? Jesus himself speaks about the importance of feeding the hungry, providing shelter for the poor, giving water to the thirsty. In Matthew 25:32-40, Jesus essentially says that when we do these things, we are in essence showing God love. So put into perspective, our willingness to reach out to our neighbors whether it be to offer some cookies or help shovel a driveway–these things express love towards, God. This demonstrates generosity, and those deeds also help to change the face of our community.
So, as we enter RRSP season, and reflect on all the wealth we enjoy, perhaps give a little more thought to the various needs in our community. There are many local churches, food banks and other community organizations that could really benefit from your support and that would go a long way towards helping those in need. Here is the challenge: give serious thought as to how you can be more generous in 2017. Then, don’t just sit there, but put your plan into action.