Love is something if you give it away, You end up having more

At about 7am on January 2, I walked through the biting wind into one of my main hospital's lobbies. It was a typical day, I was dressed in scrubs and huddled up in a coat, carrying a few things for work. An elderly lady, probably about 70 or so, stopped me by the information desk. At first, I jumped to the conclusion that she needed directions (this happens multiple times a day), so I was ready to direct her to a set of elevators or the emergency room.

But this lady was different. She asked if I could spare a minute, to which I said I could. Then she proceeded to set her purse down on the counter, reaching for something inside. She pulled out her wallet, fingered around for a bill, and handed me a $20. I just looked at her with a puzzled face and she proceeded to say, "I do this every year and I haven't done it yet. I hope God blesses you with this." At first I couldn't believe it, I mean it's pretty obvious that I'm not exactly poor. I have a coat, I'm well fed, and I am employed. But then I remembered the joy that one can only find if you give wholeheartedly to someone else. I looked her in the eye and asked for a hug, and told her thank you and that I hoped God would bless her as well. We went our ways, and I stuffed that $20 in my pocket and went into work.

For those of you who grew up singing church of Christ nursery rhymes, do you remember this one?

Love is like a lucky penny,
Hold it close and you won't have any
But give it away and you'll have plenty;
You'll end up having more.

It seems rather silly, kind of a fun little tune for the kids to sing and learn about "love" and "pennies." The irony is, of course, that those of us who need that lesson the most are the adults in the room, not the toddlers.

Darren and I have been going to a Crown Financial Bible class at the church we've been attending this month.  While we got some great ground rules on financial topics in our marriage prep class back at A&M (thanks Kelly and Foree), there's still plenty of work to be done on figuring out where our money is going and how we want it to be spent. Without getting personal and uncomfortable, let's just put it this way: we want to use the money God has given us wisely and the way He would want us to.

Now to some people, as I recently learned, that concept is extremely foreign. Why on earth would you ever give 10+% of your income to someone or something that you don't even know for sure will use it wisely? Why would you be so dumb as to hand a beggar a couple bucks when you know that most likely they will turn around and use it to fuel some sort of addiction?

Let's think about this for a second. If God chose to give you a great job so that you could afford to live a certain lifestyle, does He not also expect you to turn around and bless others with the very things he chose to bless you? He has selected you as a steward of His money, so you have responsibility of deciding how to spend it. That's the key: you are spending it, one way or another. So if you decide to buy that new piece of furniture you really want or if you decide to save it to send someone on a mission trip, you've spent it.

I realize this topic can go way beyond that which I really want to talk about, so I'm going to reign it in here a bit:

 How are you using what God has given you?

I realize that some of you are still in college, and your current assets aren't even your own. Some of you, like me, are just starting out and have more student loans than fingers and toes combined. Some of you are established, some of you are very well off. Here's the kicker: it doesn't matter. God has a plan for you, you are in the midst of that plan, and He wants you to still find some way to give what you can.

I am teaching this to myself more than to anyone else, because without access to AFC I haven't found many avenues to donate time or money. But that's no excuse.

Here's the thing: there is no joy quite like that of giving something with your whole heart. You have a financial freedom in knowing that you are using your resources for God's purpose, and it's a freedom that many people struggle with and are never able to find. The nursery rhyme is right: it talks about giving the penny away, but really it shows how giving love away brings back even more.

So, here's what I'm going to do with this. I'm going to find a way this week to give, and give with my whole heart. And after the fact, I'm going to savor the freedom and joy that it brings me.  I hope you do the same.