A loving, giving spirit raises us all
A little boy explains a generous act to his mother. “I just decided to be generous. I told it to myself in my ear when I was a baby that I was going to be thankful and kind.”
A man at midlife eschews birthday presents. “Give the money to people in need.” He recalls a teacher in first grade — a member of a Catholic teaching order — whose lessons included the responsibility to remember people who are less fortunate.
At a UTC basketball game, when T-shirts are thrown to the crowd by cheerleaders, a boy, who looks 10 years old, catches one of the prizes after it slips from the grip of a younger child of another race who is standing behind him. Without a moment’s hesitation, he turns and gives the T-shirt to the other child.
A nurse gives money that she had saved for Christmas to another woman in desperate need.
The four did not concern
themselves with charitable deductions for year-end tax filings. They were not responding to traditions of tithing as outlined in Old Testament verses. They perceived needs beyond themselves that needed to be met at that moment. No delays. No calculations. Each had a resource that they shared almost as a reflex action.
Research into the tradition of tithing led to an old English definition in which the term had no link to religious traditions. Tithing described a group of 10 households or families who lived close together, sharing the obligation to look after one another. Expand 10 households to a neighborhood or a community or a society, and tithing becomes a broader commitment to meet needs wherever and whenever we encounter them.
As each year winds down, we become more aware of the needs of others as charitable organizations solicit support in person, by mail and through online appeals. We send checks, respond electronically and deposit cash, toys or food into designated receptacles.
The needs continue year-round. Hunger, lack of shelter and impaired health are not limited to particular intervals of time. That is the unifying lesson from the four people I’ve cited above. Thankfulness and generosity are not seasonal.
In our daily rounds, each of us will encounter individuals we may be able to assist with a donation or other aid. We can magnify our giving through organizations that have special expertise in addressing acute needs of people who are out of our sight. For example:
The Chattanooga Area Food Bank fights hunger over a swath of 20 counties in Tennessee and North Georgia. Tens of thousands of people who would otherwise go to bed hungry have nutritious meals because of this organization.
Metropolitan Ministries serves thousands of individuals who have fallen through formal safety nets. These are people and families who face eviction or have no power or water or hope for survival beyond the day. Their worlds are collapsing. The staff and volunteers at Met Min assess their clients’ unique needs and, without delay, work out solutions.
Chattanooga Community Kitchen provides food, shelter and health care to people who have no place to call home. Drive by their facility any day to see firsthand the numbers of people in extreme need of assistance.
Partnership for Families, Children and Adults provides shelter and assistance for victims of domestic violence. Partnership operates the region’s rape crisis center. The organization assists seniors who struggle to sustain independent living and people who are overwhelmed by debt.
Numerous other secular and faith-based organizations work yearround to help the members of our communities who are hurting. In addition to sending financial support, learn more about specific agencies and their clients. This allows us to put faces on individuals who are anonymously characterized as “hungry” or “homeless” or “battered” or “sick.”
The four guides teach us that generosity is personal, persistent and ready to respond at short notice.