2. Give. Don’t give Winston Churchill said “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”. Another wise man was known for one of his favourite sayings “it is more blessed to give than to receive”. So who benefits here? Both do, the giver and the recipient. But the giver benefits more. “Giving with glad and generous hearts has a way of routing out the tough old miser within us. Even the poor need to know that they can give. Just the very act of letting go of money, or some other treasure, does something within us. It destroys the demon greed”. - Richard J. Foster, Money, Sex & Power.
We give because it is good to give. I rather like the phrase my church uses “My need to give is greater than the need I give to”. But what about the recipient of our giving? Is it good for them to receive? Well this depends on many factors. There is a particular difficulty in giving money or material goods to people we don’t know. Is it what they need? Will they use the money as intended? Will it actually help? Might it even do harm? My church community frequently embraces individuals and families in deep financial need. How should my wife and I help such a person in our ‘home group’? Giving them money might not be the best action. What if they aren't very good at handling money? So we have a conversation. We try to see if the presented issue is actually the real underlying issue. We seek to understand their situation and their thinking. What is their responsibility and what is ours? If we try to fix the situation, or worse, try to fix them - what does that say about us? What does it say about our attitude to them? Good intentions don’t always result in good actions. For poor communities overseas, perhaps giving money to a charity is the best way of doing something. Trust the charity. But just because a charity has a right heart for the poor doesn't mean it is doing the right thing for them.
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