Giving is….
Giving is not really giving until it interrupts your lifestyle.
Visiting pastor at Imago Dei, as quoted in Jim and Casper Go To Church
What is giving? Here is a great starting point. What I like about this quote is that it resonated with the atheist (Casper) in the book Jim and Casper Go To Church which is the story of a Christian and an atheist who visit and reflect on their experiences at different American churches. Casper was more impressed with those churches that challenged people to step up and give in a real way to make a difference in the world.
This quote bothers me, because it hits close to home. I like to think of myself as a generous person that teaches my kids to care about the least of these. Here at home we talk about the cyclone in Myanmar and the earthquake in China and we’ve given to support relief efforts. But has it interrupted my lifestyle? Has giving ever interrupted my lifestyle? Do I give up anything so that those without might have their needs taken care of? If I believe in the sacrificial way of Jesus, but don’t give sacrificially, am I really following him?
What is giving to you?
I once heard a sermon by Chris Seay where he used an illustration where he was a father of grown children. An old acquaintance asked him how his kids were doing and he responded something like: my oldest son became a doctor with his own practice and enjoys his family and a comfortable life in the suburbs; my daughter is a missionary in Haiti, but is sick often because she has no clean drinking water and cannot afford the $1 per day for bottled water; my youngest son lives in the Sudan where his life is threatened regularly and knows that if he could just save $100 he could flee and start a business that would support himself and his community. Anyway, you get the point. He was illustrating how he believes God looks down on us – his children. How can the doctor brother allow his younger brother and sister suffer when he has so much? If we really did put the value (or more) in our spiritual sibling relationships as we do in our biological/familial ones, the world would look different.
So, ever since I heard that story, I’ve struggled with knowing how much “jeopardy” to put my children in so that I can make someone else’s life a bit better. And, what even qualifies as “jeopardy?” I don’t know. My process has been to question the Holy Spirit and lean on his guidance for individual decisions. This process has led us to putting ourselves on the hook financially much more than is always comfortable and has led us to be much more inter-dependent with those we’re on the hook with. For now, that’s the lesson God has for me: have enough anxiety to need Me for your peace, and need the people who need you.
We are members of a denomination in which every church has one Sunday a year labelled “Faith Promise” Sunday. It’s all about giving for missions. I’ve heard some very inspirational missionaries speak on “Faith Promise” Sunday, giving me very good reasons to give generously for missions. Wwhat I haven’t heard in recent years is the emphasis on the “Faith” part of “Faith Promise.” In years gone by, it was clearly explained as giving above and beyond one’s tithe. It was to make a promise that you would give, not knowing how you could “afford” it. It was to be a promise made on the faith that if you trust Him, God will provide. Perhaps his provision would be in the form of unexpected income. Perhaps it would be in the form of the realization that one could delay the purchase of a new car another year or two (lifestyle interruption) and send the car payment money to the Sudan.
So, without intending to criticize any pastor for what they do or don’t say about “Faith Promise,” I’ll challenge myself, and anyone else who might be intereste, to give based on faith, not just for missions, but in every area of stewardship in my life.