It's Not About Me

I was so humbled last week by a precious friend of mine. She sent an email to many of her family members and friends in the city where she lives to tell them about our adoption and the resulting financial need. She wrote:

Please don't feel any pressure to give, but if you do feel led to donate, 100% of the proceeds go toward the adoption costs. **** and I are willing to double your contributions by matching your donations up to $25 per person/per couple. Of course, any amount helps- even just $5 if you have it.

We are so blessed in this country- what a great way to reach out to other nations in the name of Jesus!

I was blown away! I thanked the Lord, and immediately wrote her back expressing our gratitude for her friendship, support, and generosity. Later that night, she responded by kindly reminding me:

Well, I feel strongly about this cause, and, frankly, it's not about YOU, so there! :) It's about helping children, and spreading the gospel, and changing the world's view of rich, greedy Americans...

Oh yeah. It’s not about ME. Her generosity is not about me. This adoption is not about me. The money that we need to raise is not about me. None of it is about me! I had become so fixated on dollars and cents that I had lost sight of the bigger perspective.

So what is the bigger perspective? Why are we adopting?

• There are 147 million orphans in the world.
• We are so wealthy in this country, and God doesn’t intend for us to hoard our wealth.
• It is God’s will that Christians care for orphans.
• God said to “Go unto all the world” and share the gospel with the people he loves.
• Jesus told us that when we feed the hungry and love the lonely, we are doing it to him.

This weekend, I found this passage in II Corinthians 9 about being generous with our money that spoke to my heart:

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously…And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.…He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

This reminded me:

• Money is seed!
• It is God who supplies seed to the sower. Our job is simply to scatter it.
• We are made rich SO THAT we can be generous
• He wants us to be generous SO THAT it will result in thanksgiving to God!

Wow! The whole point of our adoption, of generosity, and of any “good” works that we do is so that God will be glorified! This is SO not about me. Thank you, my dear friend. I needed that reminder.