As One Family,

This weekend I was able to attend a funeral for my friend’s father who passed very unexpectedly. I was told that the past few years, especially, were not his most successful. He was a dentist of over 30 yrs, spent the last 27 yrs of his life building and working out of his own practice. About two years ago, that practice hit all time financial lows. I am sure my friend was not only sad to see him go so suddenly, but even more sad that he left at a time where things seemed not so…successful?

I have been to funerals where at the time the Pastor opens the invitation for people to share their own memories of the deceased, whether it be due to overwhelming sadness, shyness, or feelings that it is not their place to, many hesitate to… but this was surely not the case. Several gentlemen stood up eager to share how this great man touched their lives to the point where the Pastor had to abruptly move into the next portion of the funeral. There was a common underlining theme…

“When I could not afford dental care, and I needed it for serious health reasons, he took me in.”

“When I didn’t have any money to my name, he helped me out, even gave me the keys to his car. And I thought he was crazy!”

“When we were in college, he kept coming up a little short on rent, only to find he was sending money off to take care of his family”

This man, even in his last days and at the expense of his own hardship, was a sacrificial giver.

A dentist. Stereotypical rich man, right? Yet this man probably lived practically paycheck to paycheck at times if that is what it meant to see others succeed. Can you count that as unsuccessful?! Perhaps in the eyes of the general public… but in the eyes of every person he helped, he touched, he ministered to on the most intimate of levels?! Their comments sound exactly like words straight from the mouth of our Lord;

“For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” Matt 25:35-36

Perhaps you are a little frustrated with where you are financially, but it is because your lifestyle is more willing to invest in things that have greater return on investment despite what the interest rate is tomorrow? If so, take a moment to celebrate that and ask the Lord to give you strength to endure. To not get distracted or jealous over a more frivolous lifestyle or one that will only encourage you to be more selfish and less giving out of fear you will lose it. If you were to pass away today, would you be more proud of a 6 figure savings account or 7 lives you’ve touched who went on to do awesome things for Kingdom gain? What if those 7 people went on to help 7 each themselves…! Do I think God wants us to be broke or swimming in debt?! Absolutely not! I know He wants us to be giving, and we all know, in our own individual circumstances, the difference between Holy Spirit led sacrificial giving then perhaps a lifestyle driven by fear versus faith, especially in how we give of ourselves and what He has blessed us with.

So I am asking myself today, “Lord, what will you have me do with what you have blessed me with? Am I willing to obey your unctions when you urge me to give when it may not be easy to at that moment? Since I obviously struggle with that greatly, help me to grow a little more each day to where I am attentive to the ways you want me to exercise faith and wisdom practically, for Kingdom gain, not just my own.”

In loving memory of a man who lived his life sacrificially on hard, yet simple biblical principles and left a life changing message in the hearts of many.

With love!

Ange