A shy smile, a great big heart

Sasha and her Daddy approached me after church yesterday wondering where to leave several large bags of groceries gathered for our church's pantry for those in need. It wasn't until I got home from church that I started to think about how those items were gathered. Sasha had a birthday party and asked her guests to bring something as a gift that she could give to the pantry. There's some great parenting going on in that home and she's one big-hearted little girl.

A couple of years ago our church emphasized something called the Advent Conspiracy for the Christmas season. Instead of the regular gift-giving, we conspired to give like little Sasha, to focus our attention on those in need instead of ourselves. Honestly, it wasn't a big success. We all nodded about how it made sense. Then, we did the usual Christmas spending. It's hard to break those kind of traditions, isn't it? And, while we might intellectually agree with Jesus' word that "it is more blessed to give than to receive," (Acts 20:35) we prepare our wish lists with eager anticipation.

Jesus met a young man who professed spiritual hunger. When he came to the Lord, he asked the right question. "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" In reply Jesus asked him about his devotion to God as shown by keeping the Commandments. The man's reply is admirable. "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said." (Luke 18:21, NIV) Jesus then challenged him at the point of his true need. "When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" (Luke 18:22-24, NIV) Please do not miss the point. It was not his wealth the Lord condemned. He loved his wealth and trusted it more than he trusted God. The only remedy for him was to give it all away.

Many of us have a similar problem. We are morally upright, church-going, law abiding, 'faithful to our spouse' kind of people. And that's good! However, we love our stuff and draw more security from our Iphones, computers, cars, and bank accounts than we do from the promise of our Heavenly Father's care. I wonder if we had a heart to heart talk with the Lord if He might ask us to make some radical choices that would free us to love Him as we ought to do?

I am going to think long and hard about my consumerism this week. Here's the paradigm of the Kingdom. As you meditate on this word from the Word, may you find the joy of generosity like Sasha did. The big heart of a little girl with a shy smile inspires me. I hope it inspires you, too.  

"Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back-given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity." (Luke 6:38, The Message)

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