May 13 - Leaving Things Behind
Proverbs 3: 5-7 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean
not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will
make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and
shun evil."
During most trips, some team members feel a great desire to leave things
behind. They believe that it will be a blessing to others to leave behind
clothes, shoes, medications, even financial gifts. What some do not realize is
that our good intentions are often harmful. Sometimes helping actually
hurts.
In Guatemala, you may be asked to leave behind things. I have been asked
for everything from the shoes off of my feet to paying rent for people.
Today's devotional is not intended to curb your generosity, but I do want
to caution you to make sure you listen carefully to the Lord and be aware that
the manner in which you give can affect whole groups of people and the future of
our ministry. The simplest of gifts can send a message that could leave our
ministry dealing with issues for a long time.
Excessive fanfare while giving something to one person in front of others
also causes a problem. It elicits jealousy from others that lingers long after
you are gone. In most cases, gifts left by one team motivates people to see
future teams as opportunities for personal gain.
If you love the Lord and He is at work in you, then you are a generous
person who will want to help when you see genuine need. You will be served well
by national Christians and community leaders will help make your experience
awesome. So many want to reward them for their faithfulness. Or maybe you will
connect with certain people and be tempted to give them something, but again,
you must be very careful.
If you feel strongly about leaving any kind of gift, be it financial or any
other kind, please come to me and we will talk about it. Please do not give
gifts of money or items to anyone in the village or directly to the pastor or
his wife. We have been in the village for several years and know the people
well. We also have a perspective on true need that differs from what you can
possibly see in just a few days. We will be dealing with the aftermath there
long after you are gone. If you want to leave any type of gift, trust us with it
and we will make distributions based on what we believe is best in the long
term.
By doing this you lose control of how your items or donation is
distributed. This is why it takes trust to give. You can trust that we
constantly seek the the Lord's wisdom and guidance in our ministry and He leads
us in carrying out the responsibility of wise distribution.
If you have money or a gift you want to give to a particular person you
meet, please express that desire to me. On a rare occasion it is acceptable to
give a gift to an individual, but that gift should never come directly from a
team member. It should, instead, be given through the ministry so that future
teams are not expected to deliver the same type of gift.
Father, I am open to being used by you in any way you lead me,
including sharing the blessings you've given me with others. All I have is
yours; do with it as you want. I know that my unfamiliarity along with the
personal dynamics in the newness of Guatemala may make me vulnerable to
misconceptions that could cause problems so I ask for your wisdom and grace in
giving. Protect the people you send us to. I submit my preferences to you and
those that have you have planted in ministry there. In anything I share, may it
give you honor and advance your purposes.
With Gratitude,
Sondra
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