Generosity When God Takes Away

In times of prosperity, be happy, but in times of adversity, consider this: God has made the one along with the other.  

I recently attended a fundraising event for a ministry that is doing meaningful work on a global scale.  The event was intimate in nature, and the invite list was selective.  I got the sense that most of the people in the room, if not all, carried with them significant giving capacity.  Some of the people had arrived together in groups and were familiar with each other, and others had come alone.  The event lasted over the course of a couple of days, so there was ample time to meet new friends and hear each other’s stories.  And stories there were!  It is amazing to me the many ways that God blesses his people and the many paths that people take to arrive at a place where they have an abundance of resources to give away.

There was one story, however, that impacted me more than any of the others.  On the second day, I was afforded the opportunity to spend some time with a businessman named “John”, who had come on the trip alone.  He definitely looked the part of a typical, successful businessman: in shape, mid-fifties, well-groomed, and with an inviting presence.  He was also deeply peaceful and quietly joyful.  Interestingly though, as I began to ask questions and as he began to share, something wasn’t adding up for me.  He wasn’t super close to anyone else on the trip, and his reasons for being there seemed more personal in nature than anything else.  So, I pried a little bit.  “John, what made you want to come on this trip?” 

“Well,” he said, “A year or so ago I lost everything.  I was running a multimillion-dollar sales organization, and we were making money hand over foot.  I was able to give money away anywhere and anytime I wanted without thinking about it.  Generosity was easy.  Now it’s not.  The rain stopped.  Everything dried up.  We had to pay to exit that business.  We’re starting over. 100 employees, down to 11.  The Lord took it away.” 

I had to take a moment to absorb what I’d just heard.  I could hear the pain and humility in his voice.  To be honest, I wanted to follow up with the same question a second time, “John, what made you want to come on this trip? You have little to no capacity to give and you’re here willing to be asked for money?”  Thank God, I didn’t ask that.  I didn’t have to.  It became apparent why he was there.  John’s reasons for being there were indeed deeply personal.  He wanted to be around people who were generous even when he couldn’t be.  He wanted to continue to flex that muscle even when he was sidelined by God.  He wanted to be ready when the time came, and he was put back in the game.  And he wanted to develop a greater heart for giving even in his lack.  I met a lot of generous people over those few days, but none gave me what John gave me.  He gave me the gift of perspective.  His very countenance was blessing the name of the Lord, the same Lord who’d taken it all away.  He’ll be ready when the Lord again brings the rain.