Kids & generosity

A last thought on generosity before tomorrow night when we move on to our next topic.

It was only towards the end of our previous gathering that we managed to focus on how we inspire our children towards generosity. I was unfortunately called away from some of the discussion by my little one who needed some mother TLC, so I missed some of the sharing. 

However these three questions stick with me - and have prompted me to grapple with the issue on a deeper level than I would have otherwise.

Do I want the only picture that my children get from me regarding generosity to be one of me handing money through my car window to a beggar? In South Africa we cannot avoid the beggars who stand at most traffic lights, hoping for mercy. They certainly challenge our generosity and can be a wonderful opportunity for us to discuss giving with your children. Yet is this the only opportunity - one that is often a brief encounter, where there is the distance of being inside the car and the poor, the needy, the one without power being slightly removed from us. There is no relationship there, there is no chance for the giver to also receive. It is not a complete picture of generosity. So how can we as parents create opportunities for more fuller displays of generosity, where God's generosity to us is mirrored. No easy answers here, I am afraid, each of us needs to pursue this with God's guidance and grace.

I want to explore this journey of learning to be generous, and I want my kids to come along with me on that journey, but how do I help them understand fully, and how do I help them learn from my victories and not my less victorious moments? No quick answer here either. Just a cute story that highlights part of this question: One mom shared she is faced with many people who are begging and can't give to all of them, especially in this season where her finances are very tight. She is trying to ask God's to tell her which person He wants her to give to. Driving in the car, approaching a traffic light where she sees she will be asked, she says to her 4 year old daughter, "Lets ask Jesus if He wants us to give to this man". They both pray and listen for a prompting from the Holy Spirit. The daughter gives a certain reply God wants you to give to this man, and you must give paper money.

Is this God speaking through her daughter or is this just the words of a little girl who cannot yet fully understand the concept of money and of poverty?

I want to get to that stage where I give cheerfully and obediently when God prompts, even if the giving is sacrificial, but how do I balance that with the need to be a responsible parent who ensures my kids needs are met? Sacrificial giving is all about giving beyond one's ability, in faith that God will supply one's needs. This is more challenging when one considers that one might not have enough for the basics for one's child. Is having children a legitimate reason to not ever give sacrificially? Again each of us needs to look to God for His direction and guidance to work this out in each of our families.

Much that we need to work through - good thing that Jesus is the author and the perfecter of our faith...we can trust Him to show us how.

'Always Enough' by Rolland & Heidi Baker-Book Review

At Moms 4 Justice we were discussing the topic of generosity - our own and God’s, when I remembered a book I read in preparation for us moving to SA called ‘Always Enough’ by Rolland and Heidi Baker. This book was such a challenge to me that in fact I couldn’t finish it the first time I read it back in 2009. Each page is filled with miracles of God’s provision alongside overwhelming statistics relating to poverty. These became spiritual and physical challenges to me to take God out of the small box I had contained Him in and watch Him intervene in extreme situations.

Heidi and Rolland Baker set out to reach the poorest of people in Mozambique, to show them God’s love and to put the good news of the gospel to the test in a place where nothing else will do. At the time of writing the book, Mozambique had suffered years of civil war and the poverty was then compounded by overwhelming floods in many regions leaving thousands stranded and desperate. The Bakers’ wanted to put their years of theological training into practice and see whether God still uses miracles. The book focuses on their efforts to set up a children’s home and to provide for the forgotten children of Mozambique. They saw physically and emotionally abused children being restored and thriving because of God’s healing. They also went into refugee camps set up after the floods and provided aid where other international relief agencies couldn’t cope with the demand.

Some examples of amazing miracles they witnessed are: A pot of chilli offered to feed a family of 4, when prayed over, stretched to feeding over 100 people; No Mozambiquan they have ever invited to know Jesus has ever said no!; People were raised from the dead, sight restored to the blind and mobility restored to physically disabled people. The needs are extreme, and so the response is extreme!

One of the things that struck me was the claims that there’s ‘always enough’ and yet that didn’t mean they didn’t go hungry, or were always comfortable in what they were doing. There were times of hunger for the Bakers, their family and workers; Heidi wore the same 2 dresses only for 1 whole year; the family contracted diseases that they came into contact with; Heidi suffered break downs and an auto-immune disease…and yet they still say that because Christ died for us, ‘there’s always enough’. This really challenged my sense of what I consider to be enough…I always want to be comfortable, well fed and healthy!

I had noticed a trend in my relationship with God whereby I’d say I trust Him for provision, then I’d calmly go along believing that until the eleventh hour approached on whatever it is I was seeking provision for. As the deadline approached I’d start to inwardly panic, knowing that I should just trust God. Then He always came through, and I’d be left with a sense of relief…left emotionally exhausted, extremely grateful, and quick to remind myself that of course I trusted Him all along, and never doubted!! This book reminds me that God is our supreme provider and He is wholly trustworthy.

As you read this, be prepared to be inspired, challenged and changed. The phrase ‘always enough’ is so applicable to the situations of our lives today.