I had the opportunity to be the guest blogger at West Ridge last week. Sharing the article below. Thanks!
A Giving Heart
In my late 20’s I was in Industrial Sales. I was out driving through Chicago with another salesperson, Michael, and on the side of the road there was a man asking for money. Michael immediately rolled down his window, in a not so great part of Chicago, and handed the guy $5 and said “God Bless you”.
Now, the cynical part of me immediately had questions. “Why would you roll your window down in this neighborhood?” And, “How do you know he won’t use that money for drugs or alcohol?”
What Michael said to me changed the way I have thought about giving from that moment on. He said, “It is not my place to question why they need the money. It is only my job to give it when I am called to.”
I believe that the devil wants us to question, doubt and think a way out of giving to others. But, if we are listening and God tells me to give, I do my best to block everything else out and just give. It is not up to me how they use the money, but it is up to me to listen to God when he is talking to me. And guess what? He talks all year, not just at Christmas.
2 Corinthians states in 9:7 that, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
So, decide in your heart that you will not question, but that when you are called, or nudged, that you will just cheerfully give and let God do the rest. You will find greater joy in giving freely then questioning what you have been called to do.
Blessings~ Katie Van Gheem
