The Joy of Giving

We are not born givers. In fact, quite the opposite! A child comes into the world totally “my life for me.” Young parents are at the beck and call of their newborn—gladly! So, for the first three months or so, everyone adapts to the schedule of this eight-pound little consumer. They cry and everyone comes running. And this is as it should be. Bereft of this attentiveness on the part of the parents, attachments do not form and a child starts way behind the baseline. But after about three months, a child begins the long, slow, hard process of seeing that the world doesn’t revolve around them. They are a “self” among other "selves" and are not the center of the universe. At night, they cry and no one comes, so they learn to sleep through the night. They learn to feed themselves, sloppily at first, causing even more work for the parents, but learn they must. Then come chores and learning to be part of the small community that gave them life. In this small community, learning to give is essential. Manners teach us deference to others. Table grace humanizes us as we learn to let others speak first, not grab the last piece of chicken, and that we esteem others more highly than ourselves. Yes, we are born to live for ourselves, and it takes about eighteen years to learn to become givers.Unfortunately, it doesn’t get any easier when we get older. A lifestyle of giving is neither native nor intuitive; rather it is learned, like anything else, by grace and habit, or we might say— “habits of grace.” Habits that form a mindset of “my life for yours.” Our text for Sunday is simple, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” The thing in church history that changes the world, over and over again, is the radical generosity of God’s people. This can only become a reality in us as we ponder the God of the Universe. When we read the story of God, we discover this: God is the greatest Giver. God literally gave the Morning Star of heaven, the firstborn of all creation. He gave it all, so that we could become his children and then learn from him to do likewise! Yes, this is discipleship—giving is at the heart of the universe and at the heart of “loving God, loving people, and loving life.” Skeptical? Join us Sunday as we explore the Joy of Giving.Blessings,Jim