I don’t often go shopping, but today was one of those days. I’m headed into some pretty cold weather in the next couple of weeks and still don’t own a jacket after my 17 months of summer, so I figured that would be a good buy. I searched all over today, but just couldn’t bring myself to pick anything up until I pulled into a local second hand store. This store is in the middle of a pretty eclectic area of town and you can always meet the most interesting people there.
Sammy is one of the people on staff there and our conversation was really just in passing. I wasn’t really looking for a conversation, but when he asked me, “So, what are you up to the rest of the day?” I kind of felt like this kid already knew me. I just smiled and gave him my legit answer and then asked him how he was doing. He gave me the courteous answer, so I shot back at him that I wanted to know the real answer to my question. He just stared at me a second and laughed a little. He told me that most people don’t follow up that question.
The conversation continued on a little and I found out a little about this guy, but then he asked me if I wanted a token or a bag. I already knew this store’s policy on shopping bags (you can forfeit your plastic bag for a token worth 5 cents to donate to one of the three highlighted charities), but I let him humor me. He gave me the run down, so I just asked him what he would do. He said he normally would take the token because even if it’s only worth 5 cents, it’s still an act of giving something up to provide for someone else.
Is my 5 cent token going to do any real good in helping out the education system in Dallas? Probably not. Will this revolutionize the way I shop or think about my extra cash? Probably not. But can generous people (no matter how small) become contagious in a very consumeristic, self centered society? I’m optimistic.
Giving not only blesses someone else, but it also unleashes something inside of us that’s so much bigger than our self-fulfilling tendencies. Providing for or blessing someone else is something that we all tend to love to do, but it is too often silenced by our own personal “needs”, because we doubt it will come any other way.
Honestly, I feel like I’ve been in constant need of support raising financially these past two years, and it’s been a huge struggle when God calls me to give. Sometimes I listen, and I’ve never missed a financial deadline. Other times I silence His voice because of my own need, and I work myself ragged and rob myself of watching God’s blessing come through. Money and generosity seem to always be a fight, but after hearing AND seeing God provide, sometimes I wonder why…
