A Giving Argument

Give and it shall be given to you...

Luke 6:38

Yesterday while walking the streets of New York, I paused for a moment at Starbucks.  As I was sitting in the window watching the people passing, I noticed two young men with clipboards who were trying to elicit opinions from their fellow New Yorkers.  One was particularly aggressive, reaching out to touch the arm of passerby's (usually women), which did not bring the response he desired.  He then switched to holding out his hand for them to shake.  Being flu season, he did not have any gracious takers with that ploy either.

When I left Starbucks, this young man was engaged in a conversation with an older gentleman - the pace of which was becoming more heated by the second.  Apparently the young man's questions were regarding the topic of giving to charities.  Something the man said had struck the questioner wrong, and instead of remaining impartial, he began an argument.  Finally, the man, clearly preparing to turn his back and leave, shouted, "There are a million charities in this world, and almost none of them are worthy of my time or my money."  With that, the man turned on heel and strode away.

There are indeed thousands, if not millions, of charities in this world.  Some are extremely well known - others much less so.  They range from elaborate (and sometimes endless) appeals through the mail, to celebrity hawkers on television, to your average Joe situated at a card table outside Walmart. With the huge variety of constant appeals, it can be daunting to decide which one to give to.  Most of us do not have endless money to give. What we do need to be cautious of, however, is not allowing the constant requests for funds harden our hearts against giving at all.  The gift of money (time, labor, etc.) blesses the recipient; the gift of giving blesses us.