Yes,
as he indicated, we could
just have easily bought
some ice cream for ourselves.
But that wasn’t really the
point. It was his selfish
attitude which concerned
me more than my need for
ice cream.
Which
got me thinking ... Aren’t
we as selfish and short‑sighted
as my son when we refuse
to share our resources with
others?
Selfishness
is a sinister character
trait which eats away at
our selfhood and self‑respect.
Hoarding diminishes us.
On the other hand, selflessness
makes our sense of self
grow.
Jesus
understood this truth when
he said, “Give, and it will
be given to you,” and in
another place, “It is more
blessed to give than to
receive.”
God
is the source of so much
blessing in our lives. Giving
a portion of those blessings
back to him is a great way
to say thank you, just as
it would have been for my
son to say, “Sure, Dad,
have some.” Both of us would
have enjoyed the ice cream
a lot more.
My
experience with Kyle reminded
me of an event from my own
childhood. I was probably
eight years old.
We
were getting into the car
when the subject of ice
cream came up.
“I’ll
buy some for everyone,”
my little brother volunteered.
(I guess we had all just
been given
money from Grandma or something.)
“Better
him than me,” I remember
thinking. “He doesn’t understand
the value of money.”
“Jeff,
you’ve bought ice cream
for the family before. Does
anybody else want to volunteer?”
my parents asked.
Awkward
silence.
My
Dad said to me, “Steve,
how come you never offer
to buy the family ice cream?”
I’m
sure I didn’t tell him that
I was too selfish to share.
In my heart, I knew it was
true (as did my father,
no doubt). I wanted ice
cream as much as anyone,
but I didn’t want it to
cost me
anything.
Unfortunately,
there are a lot of people
like me. We are grateful
for God’s blessings, but
find it difficult to express
our gratitude through sharing
with others. We’d like to
be nice, but we don’t want
it to cost us anything.
True
love always leads us to
sacrifice. I make many sacrifices
for the sake of my family.
Why? Not out of obligation
or duty. Not out of fear
that Child Protective Services
will knock at my door. Love
motivates the sacrifices
I make for my family, and
while it is often painful,
I wouldn’t have it any other
way.
It’s
tragic, really. Many churches
committed to serving people
struggle to make ends meet
while their church members
begrudgingly give them the
scraps from their checkbook.
Worthy organizations resort
to bake sales and begging
in order to accomplish their
mission. It’s pathetic,
when you think about it.
And about as selfish as
my son’s hoarding of his
scoop of ice cream.
May
I offer a suggestion during
this Valentine season? While
you’re giving gifts to the
loved ones in your life,
give a gift to an organization
you respect. Don’t do it
to earn spiritual
brownie points or to promote
good karma. These are selfish
motivations. Do it out of
gratitude
and love.
Go
ahead. Share a little ice
cream with someone you care
about.
Happy
Valentines Day!
