No one has ever become poor by giving – Anne Frank
As a little child, I witnessed first hand the concept of giving and when I speak of giving, I talk of the act of giving relentlessly as a culture, not for glorification or for praises, not to receive back but just a culture embedded into the skin of parents.
Everyone around me taught me to give not by outrightly saying that I should give but by their actions and doings and how they treated people both emotionally, hospitably and materially. So, I learnt how to give even before I read it in my Bible.
I must say that after I was able to read my Bible well and listen to Sunday school from mum who was our then Sunday school teacher and also the major virtues that she and my dad imbibed in my siblings and I, I was able to decipher the goodness of giving and at that time I only felt something great in my chest; the burden to be there for others.
But it’s not always easy!
Dear friend, I welcome you graciously to another beautiful weekend and I hope that this weekend smiles greatly to you and blesses you beyond all ramifications.
This topic is one that is quite special to me and I truly wish to share a few things with you that will help you in your journey of giving and just giving.
You surely have given one way or the other to those around you and this may have come in different forms, you probably have the spirit of giving engraved in you, you also may be someone who takes giving very seriously and that is so cool because it only means that what I am about to share with you will resonate swiftly and also help you in your future endeavors.
However, if you are skeptical about the giving concept and feel somewhat unsure about giving, if you feel that people only like to receive and that way you should not be compelled to give, or generally you just don’t like the fact that anyone would tell you when to give. Then dear friend, this letter is for you.
I would like to start by painting a picture that reveals the concept of giving in these few words; Giving is the way we show love and support to those around us or beyond, through emotional support, material support, physical support, spiritual support and in any other form that carries the idea of just being there for those who need us.
I hope this picture is quite beautiful to you, I find that it is canvassed with many strokes of colors so bright that they shine light and spark the beauties of what is truly means
Giving isn’t so hard to decipher and that’s because every time someone prays for us, clothes us, helps us open the door, listens to us, cares for us, shows up for us, helps us with money, gives us hope, gives us food, water or anything we need, anytime someone offers the hand of true friendship, lends us a shoulder to lean on, gives us their time and energy, cuts the grass in our backyard, takes out the trash, mows our lawn, trims our garden, offers a service of any type; they are said to be giving.
I know you may be wondering, some of the things I listed above are done by service providers, people whose jobs are to do those things, so what’s the purpose?
Here’s why!
My mum once spoke in a sermon about how we should treat those around us especially those who offer services to us, because they may or may not do it well, they may do things that can affect us badly because we have given them the chance and opportunity to, we have given them access which makes it easy for them to harm us, so I typically think that whether or not they are providing a service that is paid for, they are giving their all, by not doing the wrong thing.
That’s my pretty fine concept of service providers doing their most!
I ideologically wrote down some Rationales behind Giving and I listed them into 4 main Categories
Don’t get bored! This is going to amaze you
The first Rationale I have listed is; The Urgency in Giving.
Sometimes, the need to give comes in a very urgent, immediate and of utmost necessary way, in a time when you have no other choice, have you ever wondered why some issues that require you to give come up in form of urgent needs, how urgent it was for that sister or brother or friend, or colleague to ask you at that very time. How urgent it was for her to talk to you, to speak her mind and for you to listen, how urgent it was for her to get some money from you or to get advice or to get food or water or care or just a shoulder.
I know you are still reading, just go on. This gets more interesting!
The second Rationale I have listed is; The act of Same Measure.
I have come to realize that whatever we have is to be given to others just as God has given to us. In the same measure, in the same way, in the same loving way, in the same kind way, without grudge and without complain. So, God wants us to live a life of love and love projects a life of giving and in this same measure should we give. The same measure that Christ has given to us, the same way that we have received bountifully, let us give this way.
You probably had a reflection dear friend and I am glad you are following closely, understanding these concepts
The third Rationale I have listed is; Giving as a sacrifice.
If we tell ourselves the plain truth, giving is not easy sometimes and this comes as a result of the fact of what I listed as my number one rationale, which is Urgency in Giving. Sometimes, we are required to give when it is not comfortable, when its not just within our means, when things aren’t so good, when we just have to give our widows mite, when it’s just not a cool time, when we are struggling, when things are down with us in all ramifications, when we are giving advice when we need advice, when we are praying for another when we need prayers, when we are giving our last when we don’t have a dime, when we are seeking care and we need the same care.
Dear friend, we have all probably been here.
The Fourth and last Rationale I have listed is; In Smiles we Give.
This particular rationale is like the big brother of Giving as a sacrifice and I term it the expressions that result from giving sacrificially. God expects us to be cheerful when giving, in 2nd Corinthians 9:7 the Bibles says that ‘God loves a cheerful giver’. He never expects us to give grudgingly or with frowny bittered faces and hearts, he wants us to be happy because he who provided what we have given out will still provide us with more.
More to give!
The popular verse of the Bible which we all memorized as kids is the famous Luke 6:38 which says:
Give and it shall be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
Remember our second Rationale?
I have always shared the opinion that having all the money in the world is not important except it is for the use of spreading it across the world to those who can’t feed, who don’t have water, have never seen electricity or a shining bulb, those who have no eyes but can see with great medical attention, children who have never seen a classroom or a chalk, children with disabilities, children with no parents, fatherless kids and motherless kids, widows and those who sleep on the streets daily. Those with various kinds of sickness looking for hospital bills. There are so many people with problems in the world that my least worry is to be the richest person in the world. Except that money is geared towards these causes, I don’t want it!
Strong opinion but I see life as fickle and very dim!
Hebrews 13:1-2 says:
Let brotherly love continue
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares
I am quickened in my spirit to ask God to bless you dear friend in the capacity that you need to give. Amen
I particularly love what Chinua Achebe said:
While we do our good works, let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary
Giving helps those around us in various ways, it helps us cultivate the art of self- worth and responsibility in the doctrines of Christ, it helps us change the world, it makes us better people, it inspires others and saves.
Abraham Lincoln said:
To ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s own
Dear friend, we can give our time, energy, warmth, friendship, listening ear, shoulder (I guess that song by Johnny Drille has a much deeper meaning) so see my shoulder, kindly rest up on me.
Giving won’t be always easy but I have come to understand that when we ask for the grace to give, it falls on us.
Giving reproduces much more blessings, giving makes the Lord happy with us, it draws us closer to him and it takes away most importantly the idea of materialism and pride. Giving helps control our love for worthily things.
I would not want to skip the fact that giving to God is something that we all must do and it is not the same as giving to our pastors or spiritual leaders. Giving to God is helping the Church! Giving to God is doing what the Lord has asked us to do, in offering and tithes, in seeds let us give and in building the church. This I must say is in our time, effort, finances, prayers, support and every other aspect. This does not stop us from giving to our pastors and spiritual leaders, for the Lord continues to use them to improve our spiritual growth and understanding.
So, do not give to God with the mindset or frail mentality of ‘na pastor go chop am’ it is a stale mindset that divulges us of the true picture of giving. I bet that on a good day, I shall write another letter on this aspect.
These are the things that I encourage you to share with those around you, your family and friends, your children and colleagues. But let your actions speak.
Dear friend, Mother Theresa said: Give, but give until it hurts.
I don’t think she meant that we should physically bleed or cause self-harm. On the contrary, I believe she said that out of the zeal to keep us from thinking that giving once or a few times is enough, for the concept of giving deals with repeated conscious efforts, that we do because we want to put a smile on someone’s face.
However, if you couldn’t give at a particular time and felt so bad that you wished you could, maybe someone asked for help or you saw a picture or video of someone on a GoFundMe page and didn’t have even a widow’s mite, kindly pray for that person that God provides through someone else who has what they currently need.
This way, you have connected to the blessings that come from that singular act and have helped someone in praying; giving.
Dear friend, it is more blessed to give than to receive because in truth, givers truly never lack.
What are you giving today?
If you read this letter and loved it, kindly share to your friends and family and also hit the like button and tell me in the comments how this resonated with you.
Till next time,
Warm Regards
Amanda Sibi.
You painted the picture of gratitude correctly... Atta girl❤️