The Generous Stranger

I have a friend who is an astute businessman, but I’m pretty sure that is not what he wants to be known for. You would have to search far and wide to find a more humble person. He couldn’t care less if people remembered his name or his face, but what he pursues with an intense drive, is to add value to the people who work for his company, and to help create a country where children have a future that all of us can believe in. He is in the business of making money, but making money is not the end game for him.

When my friend was still farming many years ago, another farmer in his community lost everything. The community was there when this man’s last possessions were auctioned off, and his family had to move to the nearby town. To make matters even worse, the night before they were supposed to leave for Cape Town, someone broke in and stole all their money. My friend had just received a lot of cash for equipment that he had rented out, drove to this failed farmer’s house, and offered to buy his spare hat. He paid R 10 000 for the hat, and this was in 1992! This story was never on the front page of any newspaper, and my friend wouldn’t tell this story to strangers, because that is not who he is. He does not portray generosity for the sake of being seen or acknowledged, but he is a quiet leader with the heart of a servant.

My friend knows how to make money, but he holds his money with a loose, loving, and generous hand. In a world where consuming is the norm, where we are convinced we need the newest and the best, and as long as we show proof of residence, credit is our friend, what moves someone to be generous? What makes the difference? 

Our money often follows what we want, and fills the gaps of our insecurities. We want to be seen, we want to feel valued and most people have the need for others to see that they are succeeding in life. For some reason, we think that our possessions are our gateway to these things. So, instead of holding our money and our possessions loosely, we start clinging to them. We incur debt, and the more we do so, the more we start clinging because we feel the grip of the lenders tightening around our necks. And before we know it, we feel like we are suffocating, and the last thing we are thinking of is how my life and my resources can be a blessing to those around us.

Or maybe you are more like me, who always wants to feel that we are in complete control. We may not be prone to impulsive spending, because we are well aware of every cent that leaves our bank accounts. Our frugality may seem noble, but it can be the very thing that keeps us from experiencing the freedom of living generously.

The point that I am trying to make is that it is often difficult for us to discern what our spending or lending habits say about our motives. That is why, especially if we are followers of Jesus, we have to reflect on the things we own, or own us. If we want to be authentic and honest in our giving, we need to be ruthlessly honest with ourselves.

In my ten or so years of preaching, I have seldom got feedback that people got irritated or offended, except when I spoke about stewardship and spending. Our things are so dear and close to us, that we often don’t want to hear, talk or pray about it.    

Back to our question: What makes people genuinely generous? As a person of faith, I think two postures are essential.

Firstly: everything I have is not my own. Whether it relates to my money, resources, time, and talents, if I start living with the principle that everything that seems to belong to me has been given to me by God, then it becomes easier to hold what I have loosely and give where I see the need. With this principle in place, I can stop taking myself and my things too seriously, and give who I am freely.

Secondly: replacing our fear with faith. If I fear that I might lose everything, or I fear what people think of me, I will hold on tight to what is mine. But if I have the faith that God is for me, that He enjoys my company and that He will provide my daily bread as Jesus taught us to pray, the bread in my hand will be shared when I have had enough.

The world needs people with generous hearts and hands. What is keeping you from taking the leap? What stories do you have to share where you experienced genuine generosity?