Generosity???

I don’t want to be one of those people who complains about stuff all the time and has a habit of being negative, but on this subject I just can’t keep my mouth shut. I was reading an old issue of Time Magazine and saw on the cover how Bill and Melinda Gates were named people of the year, and I just have to be honest---that bothers me.

I’m sure they are very nice, fine, outstanding people, but just because they give a few million dollars away doesn’t mean anything to me. I’m pretty sickened that we make heroes out of people who give away 1% of their annual income when they make in the BILLIONS. I mean let’s be honest how hard is that to do? Don’t get me wrong I am glad for their contributions to humanity, but person of the year?

Or take Oprah, for example (now I am picking a fight with American royalty). I saw her on a talk show, and someone asked her what are you doing in Africa? Her exact answer, “I am doing all I can…” Are you serious, if you wanted to you could probably buy one of the smaller countries in Africa, don’t tell me because you throw a few extra bucks over there that you are doing all you can.

I know people who make far less then them who give away 30-50% of their income, now we are talking sacrifice. They are my people of the year. Sometimes we get so caught up in the quantity that we lose sight of the quality of an action.

All this to say I hope Oprah, and Bill Gates, and Donald Trump and any other billionaires keep giving millions away. But if you want to see someone who really has a heart to give, we have to look for people who are giving up comfort in order that others might have a better life. We have to look for people who sacrifice and give not out of their wealth, but out of their poverty.


Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on." ~Mark 12: 41-44