Giving and Receiving

August 13, 2015

"It is more blessed to give than to receive." This is a truth that initially is counterintuitive. Wouldn't it better to receive? Most of us like receiving gifts, especially when we are young. But the blessing of being in a position to give means I have something to offer. On our first taking mission trip to Cuba, I told Willie that I wasn't interested in a one-way street. His people needed to know they had something to give, too. It would be unhealthy if the giving only went one way because we are partners in ministry. We have resources they need; they have the experience of living faithfully in difficult circumstances. Often when we go to places less privileged than ourselves, the people with whom we work offer gifts of extravagant meals that they wouldn't normally have for themselves. We feel guilty accepting their generosity, but refusing is not only an affront; it robs them of the joy of giving.

I've been on both ends; times in our lives when our survival depended on the generosity of friends. Years ago, we served a church the treasurer of which acted as if our pay were coming solely out of his pocket. His wife actually told me that they believed the pastor should be the lowest paid person in the church, and apparently they had convinced the powers that be of the rightness of their belief. We had grown particularly close to one couple in the church who disagreed with their determination to keep the pastor poor, and they took action to countermand the status quo by giving their tithe directly to us. I wasn't comfortable with this and talked with my district superintendent about it. He said there was nothing he could do about it, so I should just shut up and be thankful. So I did, and I was.

Now Linda and I are in a position to bless others, and take great joy in doing so. Sometimes it's small, and at other times not. We've always given as generously as we could, but now this means more than it did back then. It's hard for me to spend on myself, but I like giving. Linda made a special gift just the other day, and I've been working for the past month on a special gift for someone. It should be finished tomorrow, and I am already excited at the prospect of presenting it, grateful for this blessing of giving.