Magnanimous Generosity

One spring when I was a teenager my dad spent several weeks in the hospital.  For a farmer, springtime is an unacceptable time to be unable to work.  Each time my mother and I would visit Dad, we would notice his anxiety about when he’d get well, when he’d be able to get home, and when he’d be able to get back to work and seed the crop.  As the weeks went by and the word from the neighbours was that their crops were getting planted, Dad’s anxiety rose.

Then one day I got off the school bus and walked to our farm seeing several half-ton trucks in our yard.  Going inside I learned that several neighbours, maybe 8 men from nearby farms, had gathered together and seeded dad’s crop, with 8 tractors, 8 seeders, many trucks, lots of lunches and 8 men of a variety of means and availability, several, with many acres of their own still to seed.  But in one day of magnanimous generosity these men had swooped in and accomplished more than 3 weeks of labour for my Dad.  It was a springtime gift that amounted to a miracle of life and livelihood for my father and our family.

What lessons are taught in those moments?  Generosity, caring, community, the strength of many, love, sharing, grace?  It was certainly an act that made a big impression on a teenage girl.

Here at Bellevue First Congregational, UCC we have the same community in which these minor miracles occur.  Hands that generously make meals for those who are ill, many who get the word out that someone is ill or hospitalized, several who send cards and words of support to those going through difficulty, some take the time to visit others who can’t get out as much as they used to.

In a city environment we might not be able to all pitch in and work on an attorney’s files for a day or take over someone’s construction job while they have an interruption in their life.  But never doubt that the small ways in which we reach out to each other does make an impact and raise people up through their darker hours.  The knowledge that while we are ill, or afraid, or angry or frustrated there are those here at church who love us, care about us, listen to us, support us is a magnanimous gift to each of us.

So don’t hesitate, be generous, send a card, make a phone call, give someone a hug, make a casserole, go visit.  Be the “hands and feet of Christ” and give someone a magnanimous gift of generosity and love.

Yours in Faith
Brenda