It happened several years ago, but the memory lingers. Little Luke Frauenthal told his mother he didn’t want to put change in the collecting plate anymore. He wanted a bill. His mother, Jeanie, opened her billfold which contained a one dollar bill and a five. Luke took the five out and put it in the plate. Jeanie confessed that tears came to her eyes. She asked, “How do you tell a child he is giving too much to the Lord?”
Ah, that’s a good question isn’t it? Children don’t do all the calculations we do. If they are touched, they will give away everything they have. They will not only give you their money – they will also throw in the piggy. What simplicity! What beauty! They have been known to give away their favorite doll, or even their bicycle.
As adults we have to sit down and figure. With a sharp pencil, or calculator, we take note of percentages. We figure not only what we are giving, but how much we are going to keep. Rarely is our giving a spontaneous thing. It’s often cold, calculating and precise. Generally respectable, but not necessarily generous. Maybe more out of duty than desire.
We speak of the widow’s mite when we don’t have a clue what we are talking about. We admire the broken alabaster box, without feeling the love of the woman. Such acts of generosity aren’t neatly tied up in percentages. Maybe that’s why they stun us so. It’s just not the way we frequently give.
How do you go about giving to someone who was crucified for you? Careful, now! You don’t want it to be too much!
Borrowed from John Gipson, Little Rock