By Tim Richards
Each morning on his way to work, Glen went through the drive-through of a local coffee shop to order a coffee for himself and pay for the order of the person behind him in line. According to Kirsten Holmberg in the June 1, 2022, Our Daily Bread, Glen would ask the cashier to wish the fortunate customer a good day. He never knew who was behind him in line nor how they would respond to his generosity, but that did not keep him from repeating his random act of kindness.
One day, Glen learned the impact of his kind actions— when he read an anonymous letter to the editor of his local newspaper telling of how his generosity on July 18, 2017, had made an enormous difference in the writer’s life. That day the customer behind him in line was seriously considering taking their life, but Glen’s kind act motivated the suicidal person to reevaluate what they were considering and to write about it in a letter to the editor.
It is unlikely Glen will ever know how many people he has touched and more specifically, how his generosity has changed other’s lives. Thankfully, his lack of knowing who he was helping did not keep him from regularly being generous. Giving without being concerned with whether others know what we give, or even precisely how God may use our gifts, seems to be the very point Jesus made in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, “When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:2-4, NLT)
Jesus urges us to give the same way Glen gives, without worrying if others even acknowledge our generosity. If we give primarily to impress others, our giving, while appearing generous, is in fact motivated by selfishness. God is not impressed. In contrast, when we give without being concerned if others know about our generosity, God is delighted and will occasionally allow us a glimpse of the remarkable way he blesses others as we open our hands to share our blessings.
During four decades as a pastor, Tim Richards has served five churches, three in rural Missouri and two in St. Louis. He may be reached by email at iamtimrichards@yahoo.com.
