Luke 6: 38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
I ran across this quote recently, “No one has ever become poor by giving.” Anne Frank. In case you do not remember her story, I made her name a link. The quote captured my attention on its own merit, but it is even more captivating in light of Frank’s experience.
The question became, for me, what motivated her remark? It sounds like an admonition that all should be givers. Perhaps it is even an accusation that we are not. The quote certainly made me question myself. I also found myself wondering if different cultures are more giving than others. I know lots of folks who are very generous, as it has been quite evident as I raise money for the MS Foundation. Yet, when I look in the broader context of our country it seems we hold tightly to our resources.
I wonder if fear of loss or fear of poverty lies in the back of our minds and has gripped our souls. You can imagine that those who lived through the Great Depression would certainly have reason to squirrel away their money. I had an uncle about whom the family lovingly joked that he had the first dime he ever made. Tight? Yes! I don’t know anything about his philanthropy; he may have given away lots for all I know, but he certainly didn’t spend much, dying with years of savings. Was that because of fear?
This quote by Anne Frank is encouraging, but it is also haunting. Bankers will tell you that Americans don’t save as much as previous generations. Pastors will tell you that fewer and fewer people tithe. One article I read said that the U.S. is still one of the most generous nations. At the same time, we see our charitable and religious donations shrinking.
I have always been proud of this country’s willingness to give. I remember as a child, perhaps in eighth grade, figuring out that our prosperity is tied to our generosity. That is exactly what today’s verse says. I still believe that to be true both at a personal level and as a country. Still, I wonder if I am doing my best. Am I actually charitable? Would others say that I am? While I was wonderfully blessed by all the folks that helped me raise money for MS, and by a super terrific group of sponsors who gave directly to the bike team, I was also surprised by people who wouldn’t cough up ten dollars to help. Our bike team saw amazing gifts of charity. I remember one woman who emptied out her bag of every single coin so that she could give us something. She left us feeling incredibly blessed even though it totaled less than three dollars. Then there were the folks who wouldn’t give us a dollar but would spend $12 on their coffee. There were people whom I had just met who overwhelmed me by donating $100, friends who gave even more than that but then the guy with whom I spent thousands of dollars who wouldn’t give me a dime for MS.
Are we stingy? Are we generous? Are we afraid of going broke or do we spend more and more on ourselves and pleasures? I don’t have any of the answers so, invite your comments and thoughts. Have you seen a trend? Do you find Anne Frank’s comment haunting as I did? Let me know what you think.
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