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Title:
Pioneer Farmer Gathering Hay
Creator:
Breton, Carol
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If
presents are not good substitutes for time and attention spent on our
children, what does that say about what we should be giving to the
church and charities? Do you know anyone who tries to to buy God off
with gifts instead of obedience (no names)? Are you ever tempted to
do this? (Serendipity Bible 10th Anniversary Edition, page
1068).
I
would like to extend this question to include not only our giving to
church and charities, but to the application of ourselves in any
pursuit whether it be work, school, marriage, or many other
activities. The key question is does my giving signal commitment and
acceptance and movement towards rather than estrangement and
rejection and movement away from? Is it an attempt on my part to
accept responsibility and commitment rather than to escape them?
Certainly children have an acute radar that can detect our true
intentions, and it is profoundly disturbing for them to sense
fundamental rejection rather than acceptance. Bottom line, do my
parents love me or not? For love characteristically does not begrudge
the cost of commitment, whereas coldness is typically resentful and
calculating thereby undermining trust and inducing fear and
anxiety. Let us in our human associations and contacts be one of
those who embrace people and responsibility and one who highly values
the integrity of process and fidelity to commitment. In short, may
people see that our love is for real.
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