Gracious and Giving

"When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required." - Luke 12:48  

According a top economist you need just $34,000 annual income to be in the top 1% of the world's richest people... and HALF the world's richest people live in the U.S.  So by the world's standards most of you reading this blog are considered "wealthy".  We are blessed to live in this great country with so many resources, opportunities, and "things" that make life  comfortable.  But if you are like me you often don't look at all of these "things" as gifts God has given us to make spreading the gospel that much easier.  But what if we realized that God has given us much because He requires much?  What if we understood that all of these blessings are given to us to bless others?

What joy is found when we eagerly give away the things God has blessed us with in the hopes that it will encourage and help our fellow brother and sister in Christ?  What beauty there is when we come before the Lord with open hands instead of clinched fists and ask that He show us how to live a life that is poured out as an offering.  Man, I was convicted of this over and over again while in Africa.  In 2013 the average income in Tanzania was $860. The people that we were able to minister to have so little, but in many ways have so much more because they understand the joy of giving.  

One day as I was eating my lunch on the bus I had several precious children bring me beautiful flowers.  Such a precious gift.

Another day I was talking to several kids and trying (in odd sign language and broken Swahili) to find out what they were eating.  The next thing I knew I had one child go pick a mango for me and another child offered me some homemade candy.  They were so eager to share what little they had.  

Another thing that struck me was how content the people were to wait.  Some people would show up early for the clinic and they would sit patiently and wait until their name was called to be seen.  I worked in the pharmacy for the majority of the week.  One day this precious elderly man came up to the pharmacy and politely told our nurse/interpreter that he was still waiting for his prescriptions.  We looked back through the stack of forms and found that his only had a recommendation by the doctor to see an ophthalmologist, but no prescriptions to be filled.  Nurse Monica relayed this to him and he smiled, said "Thank You" and left.  What?  I would have climbed over that table and throttled the "pharmacist".  I would have yelled and pitched a fit that my time is precious and are you kidding that I just waited here for hours for nothing?  And that is ugly to realize.  I was reminded of this gracious man when I went to the post office earlier this week to attempt for the 5 gajillionth time to straighten out my mail.  I pray that I will constantly be reminded of the gracious and giving hearts of these incredible Tanzanian people!

Lord, give me the boldness to give until it hurts.  Give me an eternal perspective instead of an earthly view.  Let my life be poured out for the sake of making your name known to the ends of the earth.

"But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven..." - Matthew 6:20