Radical Generosity

I was talking to a friend tonight about her adventures while taking the bus. She was mentioning that she had mistimed one of her treks home this week. Because of her miscalculation, she missed a bus and ended up waiting a while for another bus to come.

She sat at the bus stop with ALL of her groceries spread out around her. Jokingly, she said, "This is so embarrassing, but I actually prayed to God that no homeless people would come by the bus stop, because I would have given them all of my groceries."

I joked back, "It's probably a good thing that you prayed that, because you probably would have."

We both chuckled, because we knew it was true. There is NO doubt that my friend would have done just that and she wouldn't have thought twice about it or hesitated.

Now, my friend is not independently wealthy. And no, she does not usually have much to spare at the end of the month either (just like most people). Furthermore, my friend wants to get a new car, because hers is dead. SoCal public transportation sucks, but even still, she hardly complains. Whereas some people might find reasons for why she can't "afford" to give, she ALWAYS finds a reason to give. That's the beauty of it.

She is one of the most generous people I know. We have been friends for long enough now that I shouldn't be stunned every single time she does something generous, but it still blows my mind EVERY. TIME. 

Now, I must admit that I try to be generous. But that's the difference between her and me. She doesn't have to try. She just is. 

I am so humbled by her. She inspires me and, at the same time, reminds me of two other inspiring women.

The first woman was someone who did not have a lot extra to give either. She was a poor widow who gave a very small offering of a couple of coins to the temple treasury. Her story is recorded in the gospels. When talking to his disciples, Jesus spoke highly of her. "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on." 
(Mark 12:43-44, NIV). 

Like my friend, this woman did not give out of her abundance, but out of her poverty. Some of the most generous people I have ever known have not been wealthy people. They have been poor people who have given me their literal last bowl of rice or beans, not knowing where their next meal was going to be coming from. It is with tears in my eyes that I remember their sacrifice for me. In comparison, I was (and still am) quite wealthy, but who was much poorer in ways that money couldn't count.

The second woman was the one who anointed Jesus' feet. Her act was not considered generous based merely upon the price-tag of the perfume. It was a matter of the heart, much like the poor widow's gift. Her generosity, not her gift, is what made Jesus commend her and the reason why the memory of her gift lives on (Matthew 26:13). Those who are the most thankful are the ones who are the ones who are most gracious. Gratitude precedes graciousness.

What do all three of these women have in common? Firstly, their generosity. Secondly, their anonymity. 

Jesus also said, "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full" (Matthew 6:2). 

I know that my friend is not one to call attention to her actions, which is the reason why I did not include her name. She would be embarrassed if I tagged her or highlighted her, because to her, her actions are not extraordinary. Giving is so much apart of her nature that once she gives a gift, I don't even think that she thinks twice about it. It's a normal and natural reaction for her to give and she does it cheerfully. I would bet that those other women were much like her.

Anne Frank said, "No one has ever become poor by giving." I do believe that. I've seen that principle work in my life. I always say that when we, God's people, take care of each other, God takes care of us. But it's more than that, radical generosity is the result of giving to those who we know can't or won't reciprocate our actions.

My beautiful, beautiful friend is like a God-sent reminder for me to give even more cheerfully, automatically, and anonymously. I have been so privileged to have witnessed such great generosity in my life. May her story (and the story of these other women) serve to be as much of an encouragement to you as it was to me.

It is my prayer that this generation will be a generation of people whose kindness overwhelms this world. May God bless and multiply our acts of radical generosity. <3