You’re seated at your favorite dine-in restaurant and are eagerly awaiting your dinner. When you see the server emerge through the kitchen’s doors and head toward your table your stomach kicks into autopilot, its motor rumbling and revving.
Your taste buds are eager and your mouth starts to water. You are so ready to sink your teeth into this …
Clang. The plate plops down on your table in front of you and, without a word, the server walks away. You look down and see that someone has taken a giant bite out of your burger! No, scratch that — several bites. And it looks like half your fries are gone, too.
“Excuse me!” you call out to the server, who returns with a questioning look.
“What in the world is this? What happened to my plate?” you ask.
“Oh,” replies the server. “The busboy was hungry, and took all he wanted. It’s slightly used, but, basically good as new. Enjoy.”
Would you be happy? Not in any situation similar.
Imagine you are helping collect books to be donated to a service where people read books to the blind. Up walks a man with a big smile on his face and a couple of books in his hands.
“I’d like to make a donation,” he says, and shows you the books — a couple of popular titles that you’re sure the clients will enjoy.
“Hang on a sec before I give them to you,” the man says, and proceeds to tear out the last few pages of each book.
“What’re you doing?” you ask.
“Oh, I wasn’t through reading ’em yet. But here — they can have what I already read. I don’t want that part anymore.”
He shoves the pages in his pockets, tells you to have a blessed day and walks off.
One more scenario.
You have some clothes that no longer fit you, and a wooden desk you no longer use. So you decide to donate them for someone else’s use.
You load them up in the back of your vehicle and find one of those donation boxes at a church thrift store or for veterans. You toss the clothes onto the ground next to the box. What does it matter? Most of them have ugly stains or holes, anyway. And the desk has a broken leg. Why would you want to keep that?
It starts to rain so you unload faster, and leave the “donations” to get worse in the elements.
How are these “gifts” any better than the half-eaten dinner or vandalized books?
You’re right. They aren’t.
So, think about the things you “donate.” If you won’t wear it because it’s stained or torn, don’t give it to someone else. If you can clean it or fix it, do that first. Then give it. If an item is broken, why give that as a donation? It’s an insult and uncaring.
Sure, beggars can’t be choosers. But this is stuff you’re getting rid of, not something some asked you to give them.
If I’m starving and someone tells me they’ll give me the rest of their french fries to help me, I’ll gladly take them, and be very grateful. The giver wanted to help. But if the person drove by and threw the fries at me, I’d know their heart wasn’t in it at all.
Just think about it.
Give what you would be grateful to receive. Don’t give trash. Don’t give the irreparable.
Give something that you truly believe would be a blessing to someone else.
Give with a joyful, grateful heart. Then not only will you give a blessing, you’ll get one, too.
