“Do good, be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share” (1 Tim. 6:18).
During a recent trip to Rome, I noted there were many elderly women begging in the streets. These elderly women, many hunched over or bent, reminded me of the many times in the gospels when Jesus was generous to widows and the infirm.
There is so much need in our world, and we don’t have to travel abroad to see such need. In fact, need is very close to home for all of us, and there are many food pantries, AA groups, support centers and homeless shelters nearby that always could use extra assistance or support. Generosity doesn’t have to travel far.
In the 1990s, Robert Fulgham wrote a best-selling book titled All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Among the many lessons Fulgham learned was the simplicity of sharing and the impact that generosity can make and will continue to make in the lives of others.
There are many ways youth leaders can be examples of generosity, showing a wealth of good works by sharing. We can mentor those kids who need father or mother figures in their lives. We can pray, attend sport events and graduation parties. When the need arises, we can help those students transition to other life stages such as college, the military or enter their career fields. These are other forms of sharing and generosity.
When we make generosity a cornerstone of our ministries, youth learn many lessons. They more clearly can see the implications of the gospel in their lives.
