Giving That Hurts

I read this story somewhere - One time a school teacher asked her pupils to bring personal things to their class which will be donated to those who were badly affected by a recent typhoon. The next day, everyone brought their donations. One student named Jack, beaming with pride, showed off his huge bags of old clothes and toys that he collected last night. A lot of his classmates passed heaps of praises and admiration for his big donation. Another student Jill, sitting quietly in the corner, was holding a small plastic bag of her own donations. When it was time for all students to put all their stuffs inside the donation box, the teacher noticed that Jill's gifts appeared all relatively new. Curiously, she asked Jill if she still had to buy her donations because of their new outlook. Jill simply answered that her clothes and toys for donations are her favorite ones and so she was certain that these will be enjoyed by the affected children as well.

Clearly, when it comes to giving, quality giving is better than quantity giving. It is hardly a sacrificial love if our giving does not even leave a small I-want- it-back feeling after it left our hands.

 In the biblical story of the poor widow whom Jesus saw putting a few cents into the church’s treasury, we all know that her few cents represented her all. In all likelihood, she went away with worries how her next meal will come by. And this mattered way more to Jesus’ observant eyes than those who put much larger sums that represents only the proverbial crumbs on their tables.

It’s never too late for you and me to try it one small action at a given time.

When the next typhoon donation call comes, look and choose to give our new or favorite shirt rather than the old worn out one. Or when the next hungry beggar come near us, let us give the hamburger that we are about to take a bite and settle for a biscuit or a candy stuck inside our bag.

  

Indeed, our “best” in giving will always be better than the rest (or our so-called left-over and excesses).

God bless.