A woman drove up and paid for her own iced coffee at 7 a.m. Wednesday at a St. Petersburg store, and also asked to pay for a caramel macchiato for the driver behind her, who then did the same for the next customer. After a few people continued the chain, the employees started keeping a tally on a piece of paper by the wind. By 1:30 p.m., 260 people had now paid it forward, according to the Tampa Bay Times, ordering their own drinks and paying for one for the stranger behind them. After people ordered their drinks and drove up to the window, barista Vu Nguyen explained that the drink had already been paid for and asked if they'd like to return the favor. In total, 378 people agreed to keep it going! That’s amazing!
Have you ever been the recipient of someone paying it forward? Gary and I have had our meal paid for a few times at different restaurants. As a single mom living near Millville- I experienced the generosity of this wonderful community. I had a baby on Thanksgiving Day- Nov. 22 (42 years ago) and when people found out our neighbors responded! We received a gift bag from Millville; and when Jeannie was a little older, we needed a sand box and one morning I looked out on our lawn and there was a large tractor tire for me to put sand in. When I needed an oil change and couldn’t change the oil filter- I called Steve’s Standard in Zumbro Falls and he told me to bring it down and he changed it at no charge! People were wonderfully generous and giving to a young single mom here in this community.
I’m still very thankful for the support and help of our South Troy community. Many community members have served at our food shelf, given to the food shelf, and given to the church. We’ve been the recipient of time and labor from our neighbors- like our snow getting plowed, the extra gravel in our parking lot, the plants in our landscaping. We’ve discovered that when we are thankful and when we give back– it is often multiplied in return. Thanksgiving and generosity go hand in hand. When we are thankful, we want to pay it forward- to share and be generous with what we have. I think of a couple of examples in scripture.
First, I thought of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was so thankful for Jesus coming to his home and for the salvation he received that he wanted to give back- to return anything he had cheated people of and he decided to give ½ of his wealth to the poor! That’s a huge character switch. That’s thanksgiving for what Jesus had done in his life—and in turn he wanted to be generous with what he had to help someone else. Next, I want to contrast Zacchaeus thankfulness with another rich man, who had the opportunity to receive salvation- but his response was quite different.
As we read God’s word, we see many examples of people being filled with joy as they are filled with thanksgiving- a thankful heart. There was the Samaritan leper that was healed and returned to thank Jesus while the other 9 kept going. Mary, Lazarus sister expressed her love and thankful heart by pouring oil over Jesus feet, David was thankful that God had brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, that he celebrated with a parade and gave food to every person that attended the celebration. The new believers after Pentecost (you can find the story in Acts 4) were so thankful for their salvation that they shared everything they had with everyone.
There wasn’t welfare or any other social services during the Roman Empire- if you were poor, or lost your job, or a widow, or an orphan- you were on your own. As people became believers, they were so thankful- so filled with the love of Jesus that they wanted to share what they had to provide for those in need. Many sold their homes and land to help provide for the ministry of the early church! They were willing to sacrifice their own possessions to provide for others. That’s a high calling. They recognized that God had given them everything.
James wrote in 1:17, “Every good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above. These gifts come down from the Father, the creator of the heavenly lights, in whose character there is no change at all” CEB. A few verses(first verse fades out) later in the same chapter James describes what pure religion really is, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” We are called to care for widows and orphans and for the poor.
This is the heart of the matter. We love because He first loved us and gave himself for us.
Here’s one thing I can promise you: Giving is the most fun you’ll ever have with money. It’s addictive—in the best way possible. So, go out and give a little until you can give a lot. I promise you it will be worth it. Thanksgiving and Generosity go Hand in Hand. When we are thankful for what we have generosity flows naturally from our hearts. Begin each day with a thankful heart.
