For Our Good and His Glory
“...the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35)
You may be familiar with these well-known words of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” but how is it “more blessed to give than to receive”? It seems simple, but it can be hard to recognize it in our own lives, right? We know that giving impacts the receiver, but it also transforms the life of the giver and brings an awareness that we’re not only giving something to someone now, but giving toward the future. Many of us want to help but aren’t sure how or whom to help.
To better understand the why and how giving is more blessed than receiving, consider the example of parents who give sacrificially to their children. They want good for their children, so they give from their hearts–their time, their waking hours, their knowledge and wisdom, and their treasure–in order to benefit them. The kids are certainly blessed, but the parents are both blessed and transformed forever by the experience of sacrificing for their family. What they, and perhaps you, know is that the joy and blessing of giving lies partly in knowing that we’re not simply giving a finite thing, but we’re depositing love, life, and goodness into the future–the children’s futures as well as into those whom the children will one day give to, and so on. When we see them growing as a result of what we’ve given them, it transforms us in that we get so much pleasure and beauty by seeing their flourishing. Giving transforms the giver because it encourages the giver to lay down self interest for the sake of others in ways they may not have done before. You might say that giving transforms everyone it touches.
Another way of thinking about it is with a garden. We cultivate, water, feed, and nurture what we’re growing in order to create thriving, beautiful, and productive plants. We give to the plants, and we enjoy the fruits of that labor and care–they bloom, increase, and create sustenance. We are blessed by the health, fruits, beauty, and growth because we delight in the results of what we’ve grown. What’s more, everything we grow becomes part of the ongoing life cycle and nourishment of our natural world, thus nurturing and giving live on into the near and distant future.
OK, so what do all these benefits of giving have to do with Rewritten and fatherless youth? Where’s the blessing, and what can be given to help them? As you can certainly imagine, fatherlessness is not decreasing in this fragmented modern world. Unfortunately, about 40% of homes with children have been affected by divorce or absent fathers in the United States. The impact on them is both unfair and long lasting. We can give of our time, talent, and treasure to help fight against the harm that this causes for young people, and we can work on it together! As Jesus wanted to transform hearts for eternity, Rewritten works to help hurting young people to transform their lives by “rewriting” their probable future into one of hope for themselves and for future generations whom they’ll impact.
Here’s the thing–this giving is for our good too! We get to be a part of nurturing something beautiful, transformational, and thriving which ends up providing a deep sense of joy and purpose for our own lives. When we help hurting or lost young people, we’re investing time and resources that can have lifelong and even eternal benefits to themselves and to ourselves as well. We work together to help create lives of growth and healing that benefit them and give us a sense of joy and purpose too. They really need it, and you really can make an impact on them, on your own life, and on future generations.
We pray that, through Rewritten, you’ll see the opportunity to experience the blessing of giving that Jesus describes. When we recognize that Jesus’ words about this are true, and we respond with generosity, willingness to give, and kindness for our good and his glory, these young people, and all of us, have a better chance to heal and thrive. Your giving transforms everyone involved, and it is never wasted.