A pastor friend told me a story today about a young man he had been sponsoring in some sort of "save the children" type project who informed the pastor he did not need a whole year of support again.  Instead, the young man wanted just $10 for tools to repair bicycles so he could support himself.  He knew there were so many other children who needed the help more and didn't want to deprive them.

When I heard the story, my first feeling was guilt.  No, maybe guilt was my second feeling, after being impressed by what I heard about this incredible young man.  So I debated whether to share the story with all of you, since I really do not try to guilt you into the kingdom.  

I started thinking about the most generous people I have met and realized that so many of them had very little.  In India,  I remember visiting a family who offered me a meal I knew they could not afford.  I remember meeting a young man who lived on the street, and when he finally found a job he gave his entire first paycheck to the church that had sheltered him.  I thought of a member of my last congregation coming to me after his wife's aunt died for whom he was executor, telling me that there wasn't much left for the church.  He calculated, however, that she had regularly given 15 percent when she was alive.

These people will never get their name on a plaque somewhere for their generosity.   A few people will mention their stories in passing and we will be duly impressed for a few moments.  Then so what?  So why do we tell the stories if they just make us feel guilty?

In fact, the pastor who told the story about the young man who wanted $10 for tools added that he was accused of preaching the law when he recounted the story.  And whoever accused the pastor was dead right.  The law is a mirror that shows us when we fall short of who God has created us to be.  And that is exactly why the story made me feel guilty.

Because I know that the person God created me to be is as generous as those young men or that old lady. But I confess that I have not lived as that person.

But God doesn't leave us there in that guilt.  That has always been the good news of the Gospel.  The one who created us for good and redeemed us for love has the power to transform us.  When we look at the world through the eyes of these generous people then we begin to look at the world through the generous eyes of Christ.  The whole world looks different.  We see the needs of others more clearly, but we also see the abundance of God's gifts.

Lord,
Change my heart that I might see the needs of others first when I gaze upon your abundance.
Amen