In a certain family of four boys, the father was fond of giving his kids 5 naira every Sunday as offering money. His usual offering on Sundays was 50 naira. He would split 20 naira into pieces of 5 naira and share to his four sons, give his wife 10 naira while he himself will give 20 naira as offering. This practice continued for a long time that the kids were so used to it.
One day, as usual he called his sons to share offering money to them. To their surprise, he shared 20 naira each to them, gave his wife 50 naira note while he himself had a hundred naira note for offering. Out of curiosity, one of his sons asked, “Dad is this 20 naira for four Sundays or are we not going to give offering next Sunday if we give 20 naira today?” The man smiled and replied him, “My son, last week I made good profit in my business so I have decided to give God above our usual limit so that He can bless us above His usual limit.”
In our churches especially during offering, I still wonder where we (Nigerians) got the mentality that our offering money must range between 10, 20, 50 or 100 naira as the case maybe (although some give above the figures mentioned). We usually find it difficult to give above our usual limit except in some cases. To justify our action, we often attribute it to the economic situation of the country.
This cankerworm has so affected us in a way that we now see it as a norm or usual practice. We are like the man in the story above who was used to limiting his ‘giving’ to the extent that his children got used to such syndrome. The biblical story of the widow’s mite has a lot to teach us. The widow gave not out of her abundance but out of faith and she was rewarded bountifully. If God should bless you the same way you give Him, do you think His blessings on you will be numerous? Why not try to give above your limit so that God will also bless you above His limit. One thing is certain; nobody can outdo God in generosity.
There is a usual aphorism that says “Blessed is the hand that gives than the hand that receives.” This is true to an extent in the sense that it is in giving that we receive even more than we gave. But the problem is that we limit our giving to a certain standard and we often find it difficult to give above our usual limit. Giving in this sense does not necessary mean sharing/distributing money to the less privileged or those who request money from us. In this sense, it encompasses everything we do to put a smile on the face of those around us. It can be in cash or in kind.
As we begin the second month of the year, it will be vital for us to reexamine our life and assess our lifestyle in the past month. We also need to imbibe the culture of giving above our limit.
Whatever we find ourselves doing to make life better, we must ensure that we put in our best rather than adopting an “I don’t care” attitude. Let us learn to go an extra mile in putting smile on people’s faces. Finally, in all you do, always give above your limit and put in your best to put smile on someone's face.
May the blessings of the new month be our portion today and beyond.
Happy New Month.
Aniebo Anthony.
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