Giving in the Hard Times

"When the going gets tough, the tough ... keep giving?!?"

Okay, so I manipulated that classic motivational quote, but I hope you'll hang on long enough to get my point.

All across the globe, the economic season is "recession," and the forecast isn't very positive. When the economies of the world turn sour, the first things to suffer are non-profit organizations that rely on financial gifts from supporters. In the drive to hold onto their money, givers tend to turn down the faucet or completely shut it off. This can be devastating to great NPO's that rely on support to survive.

I work for an NPO, and our organization works with several other NPO's. All are hurting, but the needs of the people we serve are only growing. Lessened support plus greater need equals pending disaster.

Yesterday, I referenced a newsletter I received this week that noted the sharp drop in giving to a denomination's missions fund. This is playing itself out, not just in the mission fields of the world, but also in our backyard at the neighborhood church.

Giving is down everywhere, and people are justifying it by claiming they just don't have it. And, you know what? They're right. They don't have it.

Now, we could debate all sorts of reasons why this is, but the bottom line is that the money just isn't there to continue giving. So, even if people have good intentions, they just can't give.

Or, can they?

One of the lessons I'm learning about God is that He is the master of the paradox. Reason and common sense point the way in one direction, but God's Word points in the opposite direction.

The last shall become first, and the first last. If anyone strikes your right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you. When you give to the needy ... do it in secret. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

I could go on, but I hope you catch the point. The behavior and reasoning of man is not the same as God's. In fact, we will probably miss it more times than not.

In the area of giving, the natural tendency is to cut out giving when our finances grow tight. But, the biblical examples indicate that these are especially the times when giving should continue. Jesus pointed out the widow who gave all she had as an offering, and she was poorer than you and I could ever imagine. He had high praise for her faithfulness.

God promises blessings for our giving. Why would we in turn ruin those blessings by stopping those gifts in the most crucial times?

Ultimately, it boils down to a trust issue. Do I trust God to do what He says He will do? Most times, our actions reveal that we do not. My challenge to you would be to maintain giving and cut out the other areas of our lives that seem to be eating away our NPO giving.