I’ve made a habit of scrolling through Pinterest. Usually, the pins (posts on Pinterest) I’m looking at are just ideas for my house and garden - things I can add to my list of never-ending renovation projects that will inevitably cost more money and time. Every once in a while, something slips through the algorithm and there is a random unrelated pin.
This week, a pin popped up about Halloween candy. Someone had this great idea she would teach all the neighborhood kids about generosity by donating to charity instead of buying candy to hand out. When the costumed kiddos came to the door, she would hand them a little card explaining her donation.
Normally, I wouldn’t give a post like this much head-space. I don’t have kids and I don’t get many trick-or-treaters, so I’m not too worried about what my candy expenditure is or isn’t saying about how we think about our giving. But I work for a church and something about this person’s method immediately struck me the wrong way.
When I think of giving, I think of giving out of my abundance. I’m glad to give because I have been given enough to share. God didn’t give me my gifts to teach me any sort of lesson about giving - God gave all of our gifts freely to use as we wish.
As I think about trick-or-treating as a five-year-old, I’d be a little miffed if I invested the effort to walk my short legs up to someone’s door and got a card my parents had to help me understand. If anything, the lesson I might take away is that for me to be generous, something I was expecting has to be taken away.
The truth is so different - I’m so grateful for everything I have. I’m well-fed; I have a roof over my head; I get to work at a place I love. I know there are people who don’t have as much and I’m glad to give to organizations that help make the world a better place. I also get excited to give to places where I participate or partake regularly. Perhaps when I am called to give, that is how God is providing for others, too.
In the case of trick-or-treating, maybe a more effective idea would be to give candy and a donation. Maybe there could even be a call to action with the address of a charity where I could choose to share my excess candy. This might send the message that there is plenty to share and I could choose to share out of my abundance.
What are you grateful for? How do you share from your abundance? We continue to explore these ideas as we discuss how we are Rooted in Faith, Hope, and Love.
Yours in Christ,
John Johns, Music Director