Matthew 25:34, 40 (NLT)
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
“Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor.” (page 75)
Not long ago, there was an apartment fire over in Shaw, Mississippi. Shortly thereafter, relief teams were asking for many things to meet needs there, including toys for children. This gave Elizabeth and I a perfect opportunity to share a valuable lesson with Savannah. We took her to her room and showed her the incredible amount of toys, games, and books she had accumulated. Things she had always been very thankful for, even mentioning them in her prayers. We explained the situation as it was: there were children in our area who had no toys and she had an abundance. While we were willing to make her give some of them up, we first asked her what she thought of the dilemma. Without much of a second thought, she confessed that she wished to share her toys. We gave her a box and told her to put some toys she doesn't play with anymore into the box. A few minutes later, she had filled that box up and asked for another. And another. As I moved the packed boxes out of the way, I noticed a couple of toys she loves and plays with regularly cradled in the box.
“Savannah, do you realize you put your favorites in here, baby?”
“Daddy, these kids don’t have any toys and I want to share what they need,” she replied.
After swiping more than a few tears from my eyes, I told her I was proud of her and she responded by simply saying that Jesus loves us and wants us to share. Now I’m not a man with much, but I learned a valuable lesson from my four-year-old that evening. While I’m thankful for what I have, am I actually making a point to give some of it away to those who have little to nothing? May our answers be a resounding yes.
Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 75-76 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski
