By Iris Richards The other morning I had read a passage from Acts, where Paul, in his farewell speech to the church of Ephesus, talked about living life generously and working hard to make sure to always have something to give to the poor, and that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Little did I know that I was going to be tested on those very principles a few hours later. My friend and I enjoyed a warm spring afternoon on the balcony, sipping a cold fruit juice. We had been chatting about the week’s accomplishments and were discussing plans for the month ahead. Before taking her leave, my friend, who is a social worker in a poor neighborhood, brought up an urgent situation which she had recently encountered. “Mercy has been an orphan most of her life, and now sadly at the young age of 25 has been diagnosed with cancer. She has been making ends meet by washing laundry for people, and most months she isn’t even reaching a minimum wage. With lack of funding for health insurance, she is now left stranded and has to finance the urgently needed treatment herself. She has been appealing to well-wishers, but she is still short of money for medication.” With an expectant look in her eyes, my friend paused and there was a moment of silence between us. I felt convicted about helping out, but it was the end of the month and there were bills to pay. I was glad when her phone rang and she got busy with the caller. This gave me a moment to sort out the conflict that was rapidly unfolding inside me. “Why now,” I thought to myself. As I further contemplated, my mind punched through: “Haven’t we reached our maximum of giving this month? And after meeting the bills, we had planned to finally start saving for some of our large family’s needs.” My conscience then came in: “Hasn’t God supplied each time you went beyond your limits to give to someone in need?” My mind: “That’s true, but we have just committed to start working on a savings plan.” My conscience: “Just the other day, you lectured a colleague about the wonders of the cycle of giving and how the vacuum created through it will surely be filled.” My mind: “I remember that, but it was meant to encourage someone who has a hard time giving.” My conscience popped up again: “Why not think of the principles Jesus taught, to ‘give to him who asks of you’ and ‘do unto others as you would have them do to you.’” My mind: “That’s right, but I urgently need to find a balance between giving and saving.” My conscience was not giving up: “Freely you have received, freely give, and if you give a cup of water to the thirsty, you won’t lose your reward.” My mind retorted: “It’s not a cup of water! We are talking about cash, which I’m running short of at the moment.” My conscience: “Think of another principle Jesus taught: ‘Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” Sighing deeply, I looked up and again met my friend’s expectant eyes. “Sure, I can help. After all, there is still time before the bills are due,” I tried to console myself. My conscience had won, and with an unexpected feeling of peace I dug into my financial reserve and gave what was needed, trusting that God would indeed fill the vacuum which I had just created. I had almost forgotten this incident when I bumped into an old acquaintance while out shopping a couple of days later. Before parting, he reached into his bag and gave me a sealed envelope and said, “God put it on my heart to give this to you after all you’ve done for me. I am sure that a generous person like you will find good use for it.” When I arrived home, I found a generous amount of money in the envelope, which made this month’s cycle of giving, with its inevitable receiving, a complete one. And there was even enough to put inside my “savings kitty.” Thinking further about this metaphor, I realized that when the cycle starts with giving and ends with giving, to make it work, it then begins with receiving, and like a wheel it goes on and on, well-rounded and complete. When we create a vacuum through sharing and giving, it draws not only financial blessing into it but also happiness and a feeling of accomplishment. It fosters friendships and camaraderie. It protects one from the sickness of hoarding and teaches the art of letting go, not only of material things, but of grudges and bitterness as well, which in turn heals the heart and puts the mind at ease. Come to think of it, keeping the cycle of giving alive has even come to our aid during economic hardships, sometimes through unexpected gifts, a helpful neighbor, a friend reaching out, or by a sheer miracle of God’s never-ending supply. And even though I’ve found myself at the bottom of the barrel at times, I can safely say, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” A year ago we started a project in Srebrenica, a city in eastern Bosnia that 22 years ago experienced the worst genocide in Europe since WW2, and even today the situation between the various ethnic groups is far from stable. Thanks to the donations received from you, this year we were able to take a weeklong trip there again, with a group of young people and volunteers from Italy. Altogether we were 18 people, and it was the first trip to Bosnia for quite a few of the young people.
We arrived there in the evening and the whole city was without electricity due to a heavy storm, so our first dinner was bread, cheese, and bananas, with the light of the only candle we were able to find. Needless to say, we all felt it was a good way to get acquainted with a city that went without stable electricity for several years during the war, and that was just one of the inconveniences its poor people suffered. The following morning we met with Irvin, a young man who was born here and had to flee with his mom and sister, and who suffered the loss of his father and other male members of his family. He eventually ended up as a refugee in a town in northern Italy, where he grew up, studied, and started working. A couple of years ago he felt the call to go back to his native town, which he termed “The City of Hope,” and he founded an NGO with the goal to reconcile the people of the various ethnic groups and revalue the gorgeous nature sites that were once the pride of the town. He led us along the path where many tried to flee prior to August 1995, then called the Death March and now renamed the Peace March, which thousands of people walk every year on July 11th to remember the over 8,000 people who were brutally killed. The following days we divided into three teams: One was engaged in painting a peace mural 50 meters long on the side of the road between Srebrenica and Potocari. Another group continued the murals started last year at the school in Potocari, and they took time to play with the kids and distributed various boxes of school supplies donated by four schools in Italy. Another group helped Irvin to clear a necropolis next to the path for the Peace March happening a few days later. On the fourth day we went to visit “Leptir” (Butterfly), a local NGO that helps the many disabled people in the area. We delivered some boxes of educational materials, and they asked us if we could also paint a mural for their center. For sure we will do that the next time we come to Srebrenica. It was also inspiring to spend some time with Senad and Radenko, who were quite busy picking raspberries and fulfilling their dream of working together on a project that offered work to a few families in the area. Senad is in a wheelchair; he fled Srebrenica in that fateful July 1995. After 20 years spent in Holland, he decided to come back and do something for his hometown, starting a business with Radenko. Senad is Bosniak/Muslim and Radenko is Serbian. Their friendship goes beyond their ethnic roots, and they are determined to show their neighborhood the need to move on with life and start rebuilding broken bridges. Like Irvin, they are part of the brave movement of reconciliation, and their efforts are very admirable, considering the many challenges they face daily. They very much appreciated our visit and our presence there. They mentioned that it’s good to have the extra encouragement and input from us as the situation in the city is not easy. On the way back we stopped in Sarajevo for a couple of days to visit the school for disabled children where in the past we did various projects, including painting our “What everybody needs is love” mural on their front wall. We also visited a new museum called War Childhood Museum. The museum presents the experiences of children who lived through the war in Bosnia, as told through objects, video testimonies, and excerpts from oral histories. I must say it was one of the most touching museums I have ever visited. It contains so many emotions and lessons that, if taken to heart, would stop the desire and tendency toward war of many on this planet. All in all, it was an amazing week! The work was quite tiring, the weather very hot, many of the stories we heard from the various survivors were horrifying, but the sense of fulfillment was definitely worth it all. Jon M. Huntsman’s Story
Jon M. Huntsman started with practically nothing and built a world-class business that carried him to Forbes’ list of America’s wealthiest people. He is a man who decided at a young age that he was going to give back; he pledged to give to others even when he had nothing, not even a job. His thinking on the matter is as follows: Philanthropy ought to be the preeminent ingredient in everyone’s recipe for material gain. No matter what the field, no star of any success story is a totally self-made man or woman. Along the way, all of us received help from others. We all owe a portion of our success to others, incurring a debt in the process, and the only way to repay that assistance is by sharing our good fortune. I get goose bumps thinking of the blessings that have come my way. It wasn’t always so. For years, people shared what they had with the Huntsman family. My uncle, grandfather, and mother taught me the art of giving. As kids, we all were taught to give and share alike. We quickly learned that generosity was among the highest attributes a person could acquire. During my senior year I received the Wharton scholarship. I thanked [those who gave me the scholarship], but said the grant would not be sufficient to permit me to attend. I would have to work full-time to make it financially. I wasn’t sure I could succeed academically in an Ivy League school when burdened with full-time employment. The donors worked out a further arrangement whereby all of my tuition, fees, and room and board also would be covered. And thus I went off to Wharton. … I had no idea how I would repay the gift; those who provided it simply said, in essence, pass it on. And I have tried. [My wife] and I have given a portion of our paycheck to worthy causes every year since I was in the navy making $320 a month. For the past 20 years, we concentrated on making money so we could give it away. Monetarily, the most satisfying moments in my life have not been the excitement of closing a great deal or the reaping of handsome profits from it. They have been when I was able to help others in need—especially “the least of these, my brethren.” … No question about it, one gauge of success is how much wealth one acquires in his or her lifetime. The more meaningful and lasting measurement, though, is how much one gives away. My message is not solely for the fraternity of the rich. Nobody gets off the hook. If just the rich give, little changes. All must give their share. Be a benevolent overseer of your harvest, for each of our stewardships is temporary. We have only a short time to see that wealth, however humble or vast, is spread about to worthy needs. Giving is a spiritual obligation. The Christian gospel, for one, makes that mandate clear: If a man has two coats, should he not give one of them to the man who is without a coat? For Jews, charity is a duty centered on the belief that everything we own is God-given. One is obligated to share with those who do not have enough. … Sharing wealth and kindness, embracing those in need, and creating opportunities for others are a societal duty. The only thing that changes as we move through life is the scope of our giving. … Giving enriches one’s heart and soul—and it’s contagious.—Jon M. Huntsman We are each burdened with prejudice; against the poor or the rich, the smart or the slow, the gaunt or the obese. It is natural to develop prejudices. It is noble to rise above them.—Author Unknown
The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority. —Ralph W. Sockman Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike.—Oscar Wilde Judgments prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.—Wayne W. Dyer Our thoughts are unseen hands shaping the people we meet. Whatever we truly think them to be, that’s what they’ll become for us.—Richard Cowper It is never too late to give up our prejudices.—Henry David Thoreau Do not judge and you will never be mistaken.—Jean Jacques Rousseau If you judge people you have no time to love them.—Mother Teresa The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance.—Brian Tracy Let us have but one end in view, the welfare of humanity; and let us put aside all selfishness in consideration of language, nationality, or religion. —John Amos Comenius Acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness, those are life-altering lessons.—Jessica Lange The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favor wish that he might have done you a greater one. —Martin Luther King, Jr. |
AuthorThis blog is designed to provide inspiring stories, quotes and articles proclaiming the good things people are doing. We hope it gives you good ideas and inspires you to do good yourself. Archives
August 2022
Categories
All
|