What Would You Do With $10 Million?

Rose Garden, Ginter Botanical Gardens, Richmond, VA

 

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart

to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion,

for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:7

What would you do if you were given $10 million?  I asked that question last night to the ladies in my Women’s Chorus.  Across the board, they replied that they would give at least ten percent tithe to the church – an expected answer from this group of women.  Most would keep a small portion of the money for retirement and “frivolity.”  Children and grandchildren would be the next recipients, followed by favorite charities.  Some of the answers surprised me.  One woman would take the bulk of the money and restore churches in downtown Richmond.  Another would provide full scholarships for three young people of her acquaintance who were headed for college, while another would give the bulk of hers to educational institutions.  The most practical of the group reminded the others that they would be dealing with much less than $10 million after the government got its share!

My inquiry was prompted by a news flash I read yesterday that Kim Kardashian [actress and celebrity] has filed for divorce after 73 days of marriage, only two and a half months after spending $10 million on her lavish, over-the-top wedding - $136,986 for each day of her ill-fated union.  I know that weddings are expensive today, but the waste of that kind of money is mind-boggling.  $10 million would provide forty thousand cleft palate surgeries for children through Smile Train; over one million meals for the elderly and disabled through Meals on Wheels; a complete course of Artesunate medication for 150,375 children suffering with severe malaria.

If we are going to be a world that comes together in mutual respect and understanding, we are going to need to become givers instead of takers or users.  Whatever we are blessed with in this life is not for us to hoard to ourselves, but to share with those whose need is far greater than ours.  Whatever our net worth, each of us has something that we can give in money, time, or talent.