Generosity For All

HEART //

In the heart of a severely impoverished community in Toma, Burkina Faso, in Africa, you would find the most astonishing poverty and generosity. Chris Coakly, the founder of Grain of Hope tells this story: 

“We were giving out grain to the most needy families in Toma on a very hot day. After the hard day’s work was finished, the local pastor invited us into the church and gave us cold Cokes to drink. It felt like the best Coke I have ever tasted. We couldn’t refuse their generosity even though we learned that the Coke they bought for us would equal about a month’s worth of salary for most of the people in that village.

I was overwhelmed by the kindness and sacrifice of the church, even as we walked out of the doors, we saw many people on their hands and knees picking up individual kernels of corn off the ground trying to fill small bowls. These people, (even children!) had so little that they were picking up what others had dropped so they could eat. I knew then just how serious the problem of hunger really is, and how generous the hearts of the people are to bless us as we tried to bless them.

I’ll never forget the feeling of helplessness I felt as we walked away. No matter how much food we handed out that day, it wasn’t enough, and would soon run out. Then I knew, there had to be a lasting solution that not only produced food, but would also allow people to work for themselves in a way that gives them dignity. I didn’t have much to give, but in seeking him, God gave me a vision to start Grain of Hope, to offer training and farming resources to communities like Toma… And the generosity of others continues to inspire me. 

One Sunday during an offering for Grain of Hope at a church in the U.S., a 4th grade boy showed up with a cigar box. We had a guest from Africa in the service that day, and he recalled thinking, ‘Does this boy understand we need food in Burkina not cigars?!’. I watched as he opened his box and started to pull the coins out one by one and place them in the bucket. He did this for awhile, and then just wholeheartedly dumped the whole box. Coins and paper money came pouring out as he smiled. Later while I told his mom how much her son touched my heart she told me his whole life saving was in that box. It may not have been much, but it was all that he had.

That night I searched my heart and asked, ‘Am I just slowly calculating each coin, testing the water, or am I all in?’ Because to truly find a solution to the most difficult problems in our world, we need to be all in, with everything we’ve got.”

The reality of compassion and generosity isn’t just that the rich need to give to help the poor. It’s that Christians need to be like their Father and live with relentless compassion. We are to do what our Father does. Even the poorest and youngest Christians are called to give and love generously. Mark 12:42-43 describes a poor widow who gave “more than all the others” in Jesus’ opinion, with the few cents that she was able to sacrifice. 

WORK //

Today, make a list of the gifts, blessings, or skills God has given you. Ask Him to show you how you could use those gifts to be His hands and feet to your community and to the world. What is one area where you have a little to give but you could offer even a small amount to God as a gift of love?Are you willing to co-suffer with Jesus even if it means that you may experience hard times?