The height of giving is when it feels uncomfortable.
I heard this saying this morning and it made me think about the uncomfortable things that I do and other people do when they are being truly charitable. I think that giving when it is easy is fine- but giving when it is uncomfortable is really admirable. Here are a few examples of what I am talking about- from my life- or maybe from yours:
~ visiting sick people in nursing homes
~ helping an immigrant coordinate their health care
~ taking in someone who needs a home and a family to care for them
~ volunteering your time to work on a project that needs your physical presence and technical know-how.
~ asking the person you know has cancer how their treatment is going
~ taking care of a sick or aging family member
~ doing a job where you get no real recognition, monetary gain, or praise, because it is in the best interest of someone else
~ dropping everything to be there for a child, or a friend
~ sticking with a project because it is working toward the higher good of a group- not because people do everything *your way*
~ speaking up for people who are marginalized, risking ridicule and isolation
~ using your unique gifts to help bring others up in the world
There are so many examples I could list. I hope you see yourself in here. I admire my family so much- and the choices you all make, make me so proud of each of you. If you know someone who is doing this kind of giving- let them know in a quiet moment that you see what they are doing and the good it brings to others. If you have an example from the life of someone close to you- list it in comments so it can help inspire all of us to service.
You know I really like what you said. One thing that I feel strongly about is that you give what you have, it doesn’t always mean money… your heart for example, when you have no money. Another thing that bothers me is that when you give or volunteer, it should he selfless. I have heard before that people volunteer because they figure that they will get something back in return. I think that for me at least, I want to give for the sake of helping… not so that someday it will come back to me.
I continue to be amazed at how much more I receive than I give. My weekly lesson in gratitude at the Care Center is pretty humbling because the people I visit are so happy to see me. It takes so little to fill them with joy Our music group now does a couple visits a month. They look forward to the next time and even sell the idea at church to get others to join us. It’s easy to forget how much we have.
Sometimes Mother Theresa is quoted as saying, “Give until it hurts” and sometimes it is Dorothy Day saying a version of that— essentially that the best gifts must be transformative, not necessarily easy to give. I like that, although I like giving in easy ways too– like smiling at strangers and saying “please” and “thank you”.
“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return” (Luke 6:38)