NOTE: This post was a draft from several years ago I realized to day I never published=enjoy!
"I'd like to make a contribution"...This phrase over the last few months has caused feelings of thankfulness, humility, angst, and frustration within myself. Thankfulness and humility because, after all, any contribution is better than no contribution...Angst and frustration because I try try TRY in vain not to "wonder/wish/ponder" what it will be, especially when folks preface it with, "I'd like to make a significant gift", or, "I just came into some extra funds and would like to share"...What is significant to one person might be the typical gift of another. And just because someone has come into unexpected or extra means, doesn't necessarily mean we'll get the lot of it. I keep going back to the little old lady I spoke to on the phone who donated $15 at a time but said she also gave her heart with it.
"I'd like to make a contribution"...This phrase over the last few months has caused feelings of thankfulness, humility, angst, and frustration within myself. Thankfulness and humility because, after all, any contribution is better than no contribution...Angst and frustration because I try try TRY in vain not to "wonder/wish/ponder" what it will be, especially when folks preface it with, "I'd like to make a significant gift", or, "I just came into some extra funds and would like to share"...What is significant to one person might be the typical gift of another. And just because someone has come into unexpected or extra means, doesn't necessarily mean we'll get the lot of it. I keep going back to the little old lady I spoke to on the phone who donated $15 at a time but said she also gave her heart with it.
I have a few "contribution" statements lingering out there as I wait for the checks in the mail to come, if it will come at all. No clue regarding amount but I'm confident I will be grateful for anything...$50 or $500, it's all more than we had at the beginning of the day and will cover everything from toothbrushes to bus tickets to gas for the vehicles. Still, it's hard and tempting not to wonder...And when that happens, I turn my thoughts to God to remind me to be humble and depend on HIM to direct the intents of each person who sits down to decide what they will give to our kids.
I was sharing about all this with one of our higher ups recently when they mentioned that we'd recently gotten a six figure contribution from a man who had passed on. When the name was mentioned, I felt a little pang in my heart...it was one of my donors. I thought back to a few conversations I'd had with this gentleman, his wittiness, his apparent love for our kids. I hadn't had contact with him in recent months but recalled sending him a few prayer books and a copy of "Sometimes God Has a Kid's Face" a few years ago. I knew that his generosity probably had absolutely nothing to do with me, as he was pretty up there in years and had more than likely settled his affairs long before I came onto the scene. But it made me grateful that he'd seen fit to make sure he left a legacy of care to our kids.
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