It seems like generosity is all the rage these days. Many retail outlets support one or more charities and invite their customers to join in by giving an extra dollar or two. We receive mailings, phone calls and door-to-door requests for support. We can even give a few dollars instantly by texting with our cell phone.
I wonder, though, if this abundance of opportunity to give, and to feel generous, actually makes it more difficult for us to be thoughtful givers?
If I said yes every time I was asked to round up my sales total at a store, or on the phone, or at the door, I would feel like I had been very generous and that I would have supported many different causes. My wallet and bank statement may tell a different story, though. A dollar here, $5 there, perhaps $10 or even $20 at the door. But is it thoughtful giving?
As a follower of Christ, I take seriously the call to be generous, to help others here in Canada and around the globe that have a different daily existence than I. Many live where adequate housing, education and freedom to worship are in short supply; some live with famine, natural disasters and inadequate or non-existent healthcare. Many struggle with underemployment and poverty, faced daily with difficult choices that I don’t want to imagine. So our household has resolved to try to follow the words in II Corinthians 9:7: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion.”
A few years ago our church started a pledging program. In the last quarter of the fiscal year the entire church is invited to prayerfully reflect and indicate giving intentions for the coming year. The information is summarized and helps the finance committee and board make spending plans. The first year pledging was introduced led to many conversations about giving in our household. While my husband and I talked about our giving plans for the church, it was natural that we talk about our other giving, too. It is a practice we continue to this day.
We talk about the charities we supported the previous year and the ones we would like to support this year. We discuss various programs and projects that are starting or ending. We also listen for the Spirit of God calling us to pay attention to a cause or need through the year. These conversations help us to be thoughtful givers that seek to follow the example of our generous God.
Sherri Grosz is a stewardship consultant at the Kitchener, Ont., office of Mennonite Foundation of Canada (MFC). For more information on impulsive generosity, stewardship education, and estate and charitable gift planning, contact your nearest MFC office or visit www.MennoFoundation.
--Posted March 27, 2013
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