Cheerful Giver
- Gary Fritsch
- Jun 17
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 19
There is a phrase from the first reading today that I think we forget all too often: "God loves a cheerful giver." I think He loves a cheerful giver because He Himself is a cheerful giver.
It helps me to think of God this way sometimes, to think that He might be considering crafty and considerate ways to make himself a gift to us. Thinking this way does two things for me: one - it makes me more aware of how God might be present and presented to me each day. Kind of like when we know there is going to be a surprise party, but we don't know exactly when - we see the clues everywhere. Not every single thing turns out to be the intentional and purposeful acts of God, but many do, and discovering is joyful and comforting. Two - it inspires me to be a cheerful giver that He might receive His affection in this way.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us about almsgiving and I think these words from Corinthians should ring in our ears. Just giving is not enough. The disposition of our heart must be right. Now I will acknowledge that there are times when we just don't want to give, for whatever reason, and giving without 'feelin' it' is still good, and perhaps even powerful, but the standard is much higher.
Giving is harder when we think in terms of scarcity. When there are only two, we can hardly give away one. When we consider everything that we give as reducing us, and what we have, generosity is challenging at least. We can only be a cheerful giver when we understand that every single thing comes from God, and that God is abundantly generous. All that we give away will come back to us all the more. “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age." - Mark 10:29
How can we be a more cheerful giver today, this week, this month, this year? With our time, our talent, our treasure?
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