“Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously. They gave as much as they could afford and even more, simply because they wanted to.” (2 Corinthians 8:2-3 CEV)
St. Paul is asking Corinth, a rich city, to give proportionally of their wealth to Judea, a foreign country in need. He points out that Macedonia, a very poor country, has willingly given above and beyond what they can afford. This reminds me of the poor widow who donated her two coins in comparison to the rich who gave a tiny part of their surplus.
I would like to offer my two cents on proportional giving:
We are each given different amounts and types of resources. Most of us would rather give locally, either to relatives or those in our own country. We also like to give through churches and charities, where we can be appreciated and honored for our generosity. As an American, I know I am blessed with more than average resources compared to the rest of the world. I have also heard that our government donates a lot in foreign aid to developing countries. However, the above verses prompted me to look up how this giving stacked up in proportion to our nation’s wealth and population. In 2016, the U.S. government gave 0.15 % of its Gross National Income (GNI) in foreign aid. This comes to about $95 from each of us who lives in this country. In comparison, those who live in Sweden donated 1.4% of their GNI--which comes to $757 per person. In fact, the U.S. placed 20th in proportional giving compared to other nations. Here’s another little tidbit I found appalling: We, as Americans, spend about $90 per capita on lawn care. This information challenged my preconceived smugness about belonging to a generous nation.
As individuals, we have little power over national economic policy. However, we can change our perspectives and attitudes--perhaps question our sense of superiority over other nations. By recognizing that we are giving but a tiny bit of our surplus, while other nations give proportionally more, we can correct long-held misconceptions. This allows us to honor those other nations who, like the poor widow in the gospels, give more than their fair share.
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