I suppose that my purpose when I began writing this was to sort through my thoughts to work out a solution in my own mind to win myself over.
“Make sure you tell “C” that it’s tax deductible when you see him!”
I left the house sort of laughing (out of pride) that this sweet lady would give me advice on how to do my job: fundraising. As I drove away, the humor in it subsided and I was left with two thoughts. The first was this: she was right, the donations made to Adventures in Missions for my World Race are, indeed, tax deductible! This is one of the huge advantages to being a missionary with a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization and it’s a fact that I should in no way shirk. Where my mind wandered immediately following is where my objection lies (and I believe it to be legitimate): “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
This reminds me of a time that I was trying to come up with fundraising ideas for Send Hope and my superiors got to the question: so what do the donors get out of it? On this particular occasion they got nothing more than to know that they are serving God and helping improve the quality of life of orphans. The idea was scrapped because there was not “enough incentive to give.” I didn’t, and still don’t quite get this. If we are doing Kingdom work and the King wants people who give to it to give out of joy, why should they need any more incentive to give? The God who speaks words and creation obeys Him, Who numbers, names, and knows the stars, Who was nailed on a cross loves those who give joyfully to His Kingdom and we need more incentive? Shouldn’t the delight of the King in them be enough? Why should we need the tax deductions to give to the Church?
I suppose my objection really lies in the idea of people taking joy in gaining in the relationship. I suppose my objection is in the broad humanist idea of following Jesus to make me happy. The fact is, however, that I first became a Christian because the choice I felt I was given was between heaven and hell. When faced with happiness or terror, every child will choose happiness. Every one of them. I did. It wasn’t until, after following Him and very nearly walking away, that He drew me in to His heart and He began to show me joy and peace and true happiness, and the fact is that He used my happiness in other things to draw me in to Him. He uses my happiness in cigars to revel at the Creator who made seeds, germination, water, soil, photosynthesis, cedar, the human brain, fire, tastebuds, and hands with opposable thumbs (most of the necessary components to make a cigar experience what it is). The God who made all those things to make certain combinations of a leaf off a plant in a certain shape, taste delicious and different than any other combination, created me and my brain, which is not even powerful enough to comprehend how itself works. That God loves. me. He takes joy in me because I love Him and now that I see His beauty, He is enough for me. Jesus is enough. The joy found through Christ is what motivates me every day, but that’s not how I started.
When I first came to Christ, it was not my joy in Him that made me follow Him, but my joy in not going to hell. When I came back, it was not my joy in Him that brought me back, but my joy in cigars. At this very moment in time, He used my joy in coffee to do what He always does in the hearts of believers: to see the beauty in Him, the Giver of every good and perfect gift, and take joy in that.
So, yes, all your donations are tax deductible and I pray that you will give and that the tax deductibility gives you further incentive to give. I pray that it brings you joy to give to my World Race and that God would use the joys in your life to draw you in to Him, the Giver of joy. The Lover of cheerful givers.
