Give to Everyone Who Begs from You

There are certain aspects of the Sunday worship service at my church that are the same each week, down to the exact phrasing that my pastor uses. For that reason I’ve described it as “liturgical” before, although it’s not a liturgy that we use, necessarily.

One of those phrases that we hear each week as the service ends is an instruction that goes something like this: “The Bible reminds us to be careful of how we entertain strangers, for some of us have entertained angels unaware.” My pastor is referencing Hebrews 13:2 each week, and that reminder has often resonated in my head as I’ve encountered people on the street asking for something—change, food, a SEPTA token. As I walk away with my money still in my wallet, I have thought a couple of times, “What if that was an angel?” Jesus himself said that when we feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, or clothe the naked we are actually doing those things to him as well. So I’ve thought before, “I just denied Jesus a couple of dollars!”

I bring up these thoughts because of a discussion we had at our Wednesday night Bible study this week. In a conversation about living your faith out in works, the topic of giving money to panhandlers came up as such an opportunity to “prove” your faith. The discussion went all over the place, with many people having stories to tell about how they’ve handled the situation so familiar to all of us. Some had given out $20 bills and others advice such as “Get as job” (a response to which I have not the time to deliver here). The clearest answer I came out with was “Do as you feel led in the moment, considering the Bible’s strong bend toward generosity.” It was a reasonable answer that left room for “discernment,” a word that came up several times during the discussion.

But this morning I was reminded of a striking instruction from Jesus during his famous Sermon on the Mount as recorded by Luke: “Give to everyone who begs from you…” So simple. If someone begs from you, give them something. This was such a freeing command. Just give.

Of course there is the consideration of what to give, which Jesus does not address. And I agree with Jesus that it doesn’t need addressing. We are to give. To everyone who begs from us.

So as I learn about how to practice simplicity, I’ve decided that I’ll not be caught unprepared any more. I will have things on hand to give, mainly granola bars and SEPTA tokens since I’m usually asked for food or “money for the bus.” I’m commanded to give and I’m confronted with opportunities all the time, so I’ll not leave any more angels with empty hands, and I’ll certainly not leave Jesus with an empty belly. I’ll give.

Gratitude and Humility

After this week, I am ever so close to finishing my fundraising for Mission Year! A couple of events pushed me so close that I can taste it! One was last Sunday when my family and I hosted several friends, many of whom have already supported my Mission Year financially, for a graduation and send-off party. We intended it to be a time for me to connect with friends in Charleston before I leave in a couple of weeks, and to thank the many people who have supported me so far.

The first guests arrived promptly at 3:00, the starting time of my drop-in. For some reason, I was surprised when they handed me an envelope. Now I realize that it is customary to bring a gift to a party celebrating a momentous life occasion such as graduating from college. But for some reason I didn't expect that this time. As more and more guests piled into our somewhat cramped home, most of them presented envelopes upon arrival, and suddenly I had a large stack piling into a chair near the front door, the impromptu gift depository. At one point I had a couple of minutes in between conversations to consider that each envelope probably had a check inside (also customary for a graduation party). I felt tears well up that I quickly suppressed. I know it was my party, but I didn't want to cry.

The tears were of gratitude, something that I have felt over and over throughout my fundraising process. And that is a rather different reaction from four years ago when I graduated from high school. My family hosted a party then, too, but at that party I was counting the number of envelopes as they piled up. I couldn't wait to open them and total up the money I had “earned” by graduating from high school.

That old sense of entitlement seeped into my Mission Year fundraising at first. I have raised thousands of dollars of support for several different endeavors, so committing to Mission Year and $12,000 of fundraising wasn’t overwhelming to me, even though it is by far the largest sum I’ve attempted to raise. I have been a part of many churches that taught me by example the meaning of generosity. So I had complete expectation that they would teach me again how the Lord equips those He calls. But the faith the Lord has given me is not always seasoned with humility or gratitude.

That’s where the (almost) tears came from. Raising $12,000 offers a lot of opportunity for humility and gratitude. Here are a few of them:

One of the very first people to make a donation was a friend from freshman year that I had not kept up with as much as I always wished I did. Even though we hadn’t spoken in months, he promptly made a donation online when I first announced my commitment to MY. I might expect that from a Christian friend who shared my same passion for justice (one such acquaintance from church made a $200 donation). This friend does not fit that description. I was humbled by the gift coming out of the blue toward a mission that didn’t match the giver.

Several students still in college have given $50, $100, and even $200! Granted, I went to a private school where most students have wealthy families, but it’s still humbling to have peers--college students--give that much!

Even more humbling is to hear the story of a friend and financial supporter whose life has been marked by tragedy and, in its wake, financial hardship. After sharing about how the Lord has shown His faithfulness through the provision of others, she handed me an envelope with $100 inside. In the midst of hardship, she had learned the importance of generosity. Let me tell you, it’s humbling to receive from the humbled.

Other college friends gave out of their hard-earned summer paychecks, some with large, one-time gifts and others with smaller gifts out of each paycheck over the course of the summer. Knowing how precious that cash can be, I was humbled.

Also humbling are the gifts of family friends whose love is rooted in memories of me as a child. Their support has always been there, and only now do I appreciate it.

It is really those that give on a regular basis that draw out the most gratitude. Several dear friends and family members have been giving for several months now, becoming my largest financial supporters. Although I am tempted to feel entitled to those monthly gifts, they also hold the greatest potential for humbling me because they came once…and then again. And again. And again! And they continue to come. Each gift is more humbling.

And finally I’ll share the second event that pushed me very close to finishing fundraising. On Wednesday night, my church home for this summer, First Baptist Church of Ravenel, voted to give $1,200 toward MY expenses! What an unexpected blessing, another humbling experience.

And that’s where I am now. I’ve been hit with generosity so many times that I couldn’t handle the sight of the envelopes sitting in that chair by the door last Sunday. In fact, I delayed opening them for a bit to keep from facing it. But gratitude and humility are not to be staved off. Thank you to all of my supporters, from the $5 one-time giver to the $100 monthly giver, for so many opportunities for gratitude.

Stay tuned for another post about all of the fun details I’ve recently learned about what I’ll be doing during my year in Philadelphia!

Reflections on Simplicity

One of the disciplines that will become a part of my life during Mission Year is simplicity. The Mission Year handbook explains it this way: "A lifestyle of simplicity challenges cultural values of individualism and materialism while helping you better relate to your neighbors from a position of humility and mutuality rather than power and privilege."

As I learned about Mission Year during the application process, I was excited about many of its facets. Simplicity was one of the most exciting. The Lord has been slowly working through many issues related to money, possessions, and insecurity in my life for a while. My brokenness in this area existed at many levels, and it has been a journey just untangling it all.

Like many people in our culture, I was caught up in image at a young age. Starting in fifth and sixth grade, I became obsessed with matching colors, name brands, and cool hair. It's funny to look at pictures now, but those early habits built deep insecurity into how I thought of myself. They began to have serious implications for all my social interactions. I constantly questioned and wondered how people perceived me. It wasn't until college that I realized I was dressing and styling, and then speaking and even leading, for everyone except myself.

A second layer of brokenness was the impact of the bargain-hunting culture. I became uncomfortable and unable to spend more than a certain amount of money on a single item of clothing, and I could never pass up a bargain sale if it presented itself at a time when I had money to spend. This seems like it would be a great setup, right? Unfortunately, it landed me with a bunch of clothes bought at great prices that I only half-way liked. You can imagine that so-so clothes and an obsession with image made for an unhappy person.

The Lord began untangling this brokenness last year during Lent, when I fasted my wardrobe. I wore only one pair of pants and two shirts for 40 days and took every moment of insecurity as an opportunity to pray. (And yes, I changed underwear and undershirts and socks.) This experiment in simplicity exposed so much in my life, helping me to become comfortable with dressing myself to express myself and spending a little more money on clothes that expressed me well.

I was inspired to write because today I took three trash bags full of clothes to Goodwill, another exercise in simplicity. Returning home for the summer revealed how much stuff I have: all that I had taken to school plus all that I had left at home. Usually I can just store parts of my wardrobe for the summer, but coming home without the expectation of going back to Emory has forced me to purge. I purged items that were the wrong size or an outdated style but also a couple of items I really like, just to break my attachment.

Looking ahead to September and Mission Year, I expect this is just the beginning of my journey with simplicity. But like I said, I couldn't be more excited about that! Who can pass up the bargain of trading in brokenness and insecurity for restoration identity?