Giving as a Form of Thanksgiving

Alice Bernard-Jones ponders the nature of generosity

As a child in Sunday school there was one statement that I found intriguing and it stayed with me for quite a while.  The Sunday school teacher would tell us to sing lustily and give praise to God.  All we have belongs to God, so we cannot give Him anything, but our praise.  We would bellow out the usual children’s songs “All things bright and beautiful” and “Yes, Jesus loves me.” Come offering time, after we had joined the main congregation, appeal after appeal was made to give to God generously.  In those days we could even have three or four offerings.  If all we have belongs to God and we cannot give Him anything but our praise, how come we had to give so much money to God?  At that time I was seeing things through childish eyes, now I see and understand more clearly that what we give is to the service of God.  Some people refer to this as the mission of the church. 

      The accomplishment of the mission is sometimes approached from two different perspectives.  You find the money and then establish the mission, or you define the mission and then go look for the money!  Those churches, which in faith define the mission, rarely fail to find the money to carry out their mission.  The starting point is not the sum of money available, not even the nobility of the cause, but the frame of mind.  It is a generous heart that starts the emergence and realization of mission.

      Stewardship is seen by some as only the giving of money.  What is pledged for the year!  Stewardship is not just the giving of money, stewardship can involve the giving of your time and sometimes giving of your past experiences, such as the wisdom you have acquired through the years.  If you are drowning in bills, you may think you have nothing to offer.  You might feel far removed from the abundant life that Jesus has promised.  This is not true; you still have a lot you can give.  You still have your time, your wisdom, and encouragement.  You may be able to counsel a teenager who might have appeared unreachable to many.

      Stewardship could be a thorny issue in some churches.  Those who cannot give financially may feel inadequate, while those who can give may be judgmental of the giving of others.  We should enhance our own generosity.  Encourage others to give by spreading the joy of giving rather than being judgmental of the giving of others.  We should all endeavor to be cheerful givers.  St. Paul told the Corinthians in his second letter to the church at Corinth “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  In other words give as much as your circumstances permit, and give with a cheerful heart.  Our Lord took care of the measure of our giving when he declared that the widow’s two mites were more of a sacrificial offering in the eyes of God than the offering of the rich, which was out of their abundance.  What matters to God is our measure of giving and not our measure of wealth.

      When we are grateful to God for all He has provided in our life, we could show our thankfulness and appreciation for the joy and fullness of life, in our generosity on a one-on-one basis and to the service of God generally.  If we are grateful that we always have food on our table, we could give to a charity that provides food for the poor.  If we are grateful for our health, we could work with the sick and volunteer our services.  If we cultivate a generous nature, we will be quick to identify areas that we could show our generosity.  Giving is an action that is prompted by the heart.  A generous heart is a thankful heart.