Indiscriminate Giving

“Most women I know are really good at giving. And we should be good at giving. We follow in the way of a Savior who gave himself for the world. But Jesus didn’t give himself indiscriminately; he didn’t give people everything they wanted. Jesus knew his calling from the Father; he knew the unique shape of the redemptive gift he was to give to the world. I believe that too many women give bits and pieces of themselves away, indiscriminately, for years and years, and never have the time or energy to discern their unique calling from God, never have the time or energy to play the redemptive role they are gifted and impassioned to play. The result is a lot of good-hearted, devout Christian women who are exhausted and depressed.” (Lynne Hybels, Willow Creek Church)

I agree with Lynne Hybels. Women are conditioned from an early age to give of ourselves selflessly, without limits. Anything less would be considered selfish and unchristian. As wives and mothers, we are used to putting the needs of our family before our own. And this is how it should be. However, some of us give indiscriminately. We ignore our physical and mental health. We put our relationship with God on the back burner. We get burned out. We become ineffective, out-of-service, and empty.

 

Let’s say your boss sent you to a pawn shop with some money to redeem a watch--a family heirloom. As you walk into the pawn shop, you see a lot of things that seem worthwhile even before you get to the counter. You decide to buy a few extra things for your boss, thinking that you will still have enough left to do what you were sent for. But, by the time you get to the glass counter where the watch is kept, you realize you do not have enough reserves to redeem the family heirloom. You have spent the boss’s resources indiscriminately and now cannot accomplish your assignment.

 

Even if our intentions are good, giving ourselves away promiscuously can be harmful. We are given limited resources of time, energy, talents, and assets. We must be vigilant, selective, and disciplined in how we manage these resources. We are called to give purposefully, meaningfully, and carefully.