Pride in our problems? Romans 5 and generosity
What does a philanthropist look like? Someone who lives in a huge house with a giant SUV? Or someone who lives in a tiny house and never drives?
A Mississippi washerwoman who had to quit school in the sixth grade, Oseola McCarty gave away $150,000 (about half a million in today’s dollars) to support Black students (New York Times, August 13, 1995). Her story inspired much generosity and brought her quiet life into the spotlight during her last years.
Fear can warp our thinking on generosity. We think that we can’t afford to give. Or worse, that our lack of financial resources means God is punishing us somehow. Romans 5 points us towards hope, a rocky path towards hope:
“We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
Romans 5:3-4, Common English Bible.
These verses could be McCarty’s bio. She faithfully walked to church. She had tremendous struggles, strong character and a quiet hope. She made the gift hoping to see students benefit and she did; she lived just long enough to attend the graduation of the first scholarship recipient. “Maybe I can make it so the children don't have to work like I did.”
Feelings follow actions
The generous people I meet often learned generosity young (not all, it’s never too late to start!). These faithful givers didn’t wait until they could afford to give away lots of money, they started with what they had. Donors tell me that whatever they’ve given away, they’ve never, ever missed it.
''There's a lot of talk about self-esteem these days,'' McCarty once said. ''It seems pretty basic to me. If you want to feel proud of yourself, you've got to do things you can be proud of. Feelings follow actions.'' (New York Times obituary of Oseola McCarty, September 28, 1999.)
I’m grateful for the generous donors who light a path for us to follow. Generosity doesn’t magically erase our problems, but it does point us towards hope. I especially like McCarty’s observation that sometimes feelings follow actions. Generosity grows our hearts; we don’t have to wait until our heart is as big as McCarty’s was to begin our generosity journey!