---------------WHEN BIG IS SMALL
That's what's on my mind this morning. Let me tell you a story.. a short one.
Nene, not her real name, came to my house late one night. She didn't come in but stayed at the gate, so I came out to meet her. Saw her in tears, so I asked what's wrong. She said, in tagalog, that she needed help for her very sick child who needed to be brought to the hospital that night. She has already knocked at friends' doors for that help in the effort of trying to raise the necessary fund. And she thought of me too. My mind was racing through the contents of my purse trying to count what was left there. It was not a good time to be generous as I was not prepared for it. But I went back into the house and shook my purse, shook it harder hoping that it would cough up magically some more. No luck. So I ran back to the gate with what I had and gave it to her explaining my situation. When she saw it she cried even more and thanked me profusely saying that it was going to be a big help to her plight. To make a long story short, she came back to me a few days after to thank me for that. Such a sweet gesture from a sweet person I must say. Her grateful thanks was unexpected. You don't get something like that everyday.
Anyway, The whole point of the story is ---- in helping others small is big! You don't have to withhold help because you think or feel that you don't have enough or that you could give bigger at a better time. You don't have to wait for better circumstances for you to be able to help. Whatever there is that you can --- just give. Because you will never know if that 'small' is just what is needed to complete a 'big'. A few hundred pesos may be the missing link to raise the thousand aimed for. Or that you may have been the last person on that exhaustive list ... because there are only a few of you who the suffering one could think of as friends. Where would she go next.. if you withheld the giving?? Would there be anyone else to approach? What would have happened if she wasn't able to gather help to her desperate need?
In that moment of another person's need, This is what happens..... you are given the opportunity to make God shine through. You have the opportunity to serve as God's conduit or channel of blessing to a burdened soul. That moment is not all about you; no it is not. That moment is all about God reaching out to a burdened soul. God is using you to minister to his children. Be a willing channel of God's grace and blessing to another.
Give with whatever you can, with what you have. Serve in whatever capacity God wants you to serve. How do you know it's what He wants you to do? Simple, listen to your heart. It's all there if you pay close attention. And get your ego out of the way.
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Be blessed and stay blessed.
Awesome, I hope everybody has that kind of a heart and sensibility.
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see you again, Aby! Truly. Missed you. How are you? How's the family? I wish you all the very best that life can bring. Have a lovely day. Enjoy your blessings. :-)
ReplyDeleteI am usually generous with giving but sometimes I hold back. I think organised giving helps more than casual generosity. Many companies now-a-days have tie up with NGOs to help their employees to help their employees support a philanthropic cause like sponsoring the education of a child, adopting a child etc. Giving gives you true satisfaction. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteHi Indra,
ReplyDeleteYou have a point. 'Organized giving' has its uses and is on a grander scale of giving -- is true. On the other hand, 'casual generosity' isn't that casual if its motivation is born out of sympathy and compassion. This is the essence of giving. Quantity or quality plays second to the promptings of a compassionate heart.
Delighted to see you every time, Indra. You're a precious presence in the blog. Take care and blessings to you and your loved ones.
Hi Indra,
ReplyDeleteGee, I wrote a reply but it didn't post in here I dunno why. blogspot sometimes messes up things. Will be back to reply to your comment soonest I fix this problem See yah!
Hi again, Indra,
ReplyDeleteYou are correct in that organized giving serves a good purpose one that is on a grand or grander scale with bigger than normal collective resources. But there are not so many philanthropists or Mother Teresa's or billionaires or men and women in top positions in our midst. And if there be so, that kind of help coursed through a program of assistance does not always reach the individual ordinary needy one in his tiny ordinary needy world. I'm talking about our everyday lives... with the people we see around us... our family, our friends, our neighbors, our workers, or the maids who keep our houses clean while we are at the office all day.
On the other hand, casual giving is one that is readily doable in the sense that one need not wait for better resources or time or reason... but is something which one can engage in instantly as dictated by a sympathetic and compassionate heart, It is responding to a need that one sees. That in essence is what giving is all about.
One does not have to make it harder for himself to give or help others. It simply comes out naturally as the desire nudges you towards it. Giving with who-we-are and with whatever-we-have addresses the need with immediacy. Believe me, help in whatever form or volume is always appreciated by that person who needs it. Fact is, they often consider that a miracle.
It is nice having this exchange with you, Indra. You're a smart intelligent young man. Proud to be your friend.
Well, it looks like blogspot is behaving today. I hope it stays that way.
Take care now. God bless you and your loved ones.