Just share

From the time we are tiny little children, we are told to share.  Moms and dads, teachers, and grandparents encourage us to share some of what we have with siblings, friends, and, sometimes, "starving children in..." The Bible exhorts us to share all throughout the old and new testaments.

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. Proverbs 11:24 

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16

Often, we are sharing out of abundance.  We have a bag of candy and give a few pieces to a friend.  We have clothes we haven't worn in a long time (or no longer fit) so we give them to a charity.  We have a couple of $1 bills in our wallets, beside the $10s and $20s, so we give them to the homeless person on the corner.  We pledge money to the church, working towards fitting a tithe into the family budget. 

What does it look like when we just share?  Not out of abundance but out of love?  It looks like this:

Little Alex Eduardo just graduated from kindergarten.  He got the award for being curious!  He also got a gift of an airplane, some cars and signage to go with it.   Pamm Ferrand, from the Atlanta team, was walking by as Alex was playing and he handed her the above items.  "It's a gift!"  Pamm checked several times that afternoon to see if he wanted them back.  "No, it's a gift!"  Our kids don't have many of their own toys and Alex only received one toy for his graduation.  Yet, unbidden, for no particular reason, he shared it with Pamm.

This is actually pretty common at the Children's Home.  Just a couple days ago, a child casually shared part of his small pack of Smarties with me.  Candy is a real treat for the kids.  No words, just a couple of Smarties offered up. 

Reina, Andrea, Joseph

The most touching example of sharing happened twice in June, by the same person.  There is a student, Andrea, at our school in Flor with cystic fibrosis.  Dr. Ann Von Thron and Joseph Klosik have become involved and are able to find CF parents in the US and pharmaceutical companies to donate meds and more sophisticated and effective equipment to help Andrea.  Her mother, Reina, is overcome by the love and generosity shown by anonymous people in the US.  As she thanked Joseph and Dr. Ann, she explained that there is only 1 doctor in all of Honduras who treats CF and meds are expensive and often impossible to get.   So, despite her own very limited resources and a child with CF, she shares the meds with other families with CF children. 

This leaves me speechless.  I imagine what it would be like to have a child with a life threatening illness like CF.  I am certain I would hoard any medications I could get my hands on to ensure MY child had what he needed.  I am equally certain it wouldn't occur to me to share the meds that were otherwise out of reach.  And yet, that is what she does.  She shares out of love and trusts in God to provide.

My experience in Honduras over and over again is that those who have nothing share everything.  If they have 2, they give you 1.  If they have only 1, they give you half.  It makes no difference if you are poor or wealthy.  They just share because that is where their heart is.

 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34