Part of my misspent youth was waiting tables at Pizza Hut. We bussed our own tables back then, and I remember the thrill of cleaning a table, and looking around to find how much someone left me as a tip. Under salad plates or folded neatly in a sugar container, there it would be: one or two dollars and sometimes a little pocket change. But occasionally that little green corner peeking out from under a pizza pan was a $5 bill, and that was life-changing. From then on, I always imagined that as an adult, I would leave $100 tips everywhere I ate. Unfortunately, I can’t afford that these days, but I do still get a little squeak of joy from leaving really good tips.
In the robot world we live in, giving is as easy as a debit on your Visa card. With the collective power of a crowd, we can show support for hurricane victims, sponsor a child, or build a school in another country without leaving our chair.
But the type of giving described in this passage in Acts 4, seems so personal that it’s hard for me to grasp. What would it mean to “share everything I had”? This passage reminds me that people need help with the simple needs of everyday life. I don’t have to wait for a hurricane. I just need to look out my window.
I see my 92-year-old neighbor outside. I rarely see that! She usually stays indoors. Why haven’t I knocked gently on her door and brought her a snack to share? Why haven’t I brought her a meal yet? Maybe in doing that, I find out she could use help organizing her house or painting a wall.
I see how hard the family across the street works to keep all the balls in the air – they are always in a hurry, rushing kids in and out of the car, leaving early when it’s dark and returning home when the sun is going down. I’ve lived that life, and I know I could help: bring them a simple meal; sit out on the lawn with their little boy who always wants to say hello to my dogs; just give them a simple break.
There is a school at the end of my block. I’ve never even inquired as to how I could offer to help there!
It is time for me to grow in my practice of giving. Long, sustained growth doesn’t happen with sporadic $100 tips — although those can be fun. The Lord asks us to grow by noticing the daily needs and concerns of other people, followed by true action to offer everything we have — not just our money — to the point that there are “no needy persons among them.”
by Carie Grant
