Lord, Speak to MeSample

What Gives?

A couple of generations ago, it wasn’t unusual that payment for goods and services were done in trade. In fact, I’ve heard that my grandfather who was a bi-vocational pastor occasionally got paid in chickens—live chickens. That tradition has pretty much since died out officially. (Now we have direct deposit and it would be hard to put live chickens into that scenario.)

However, several years ago, a pastor in Nova Scotia called us and asked for an accompaniment track to a song we had written. He said that he led a small choir in a small church and that they didn’t have much money to pay for it. My husband graciously offered to provide the track and told the pastor he’d send it at no charge. The pastor was so grateful and humbled. He then explained that the church was in a small fishing village in Nova Scotia and that lobstering was their main source of income. That sounded interesting and we could imagine that picturesque village with sounds of one of our songs being sung in the background. It was a humbling thought.

A couple of weeks later, a large package arrived at our door—a special delivery box from Canada that said “Live Lobsters” stamped on the package. Yeah, we got paid in lobsters. We opened up the package that had been shipped in dry ice and found thirteen live, but a little weary, lobsters straight from the ocean. It was amazing! We didn’t really know what to do. What a gift! And just how do you cook thirteen live lobsters anyway? We finally figured out how to cook them, extract the meat, and freeze it. Needless to say, we ate well for quite a while.

When I think back on that experience, I realize how important it is that we give generously from what we have—our first fruits, if you will.

King David, of biblical fame, had messed up—again—so he went to find a proper place to offer a sacrifice to God to atone for his sin. There was a threshing floor nearby that would do just fine. As he was going to buy the threshing floor, the owner saw the king and his entourage on their way. The owner was humbled that the king would come to him, a mere servant. The man offered the king not only the threshing floor at no cost, but his oxen as blood sacrifices and their yokes as wood for the fire—free of charge as well.

David’s response was this: “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24: 24). Anytime I think I can “phone it in” in my work or my service—I think of David and what a true gift means.