“Would you like this wrapped as a gift?”
“No, I’d like it wrapped as an obligation.”
What if we all gave only in ways that made us happy? No hair-shirt, sacrificial giving performed in pain that makes the deed even more “noble.” No cautious, statistical gift with well-weighed outcomes. And no gifts because Dad, Christ, or Culture commands. What if our non-deductible giving exuberantly gushed forth from that divinely-planted seed within, and we did it just because of the anticipated thrill of the feeling that comes with the gift – like the second and third lick of an ice cream cone?
Doubtless, a legion of stern and ledgerly saints (reveling in their own disapproval) would get very upset. But I’ll bet the entire total of my 1040-schedule A that the good Lord’s globe would fill with a lot more smiles – and just maybe a lot more giving. And I’ll bet He’d like it. What about you?
Wishing You Every Success,
– Bart Jackson