True Generosity

13 January 2020

Elise Cook

It’s difficult to watch our country burn. To see pictures of blood red sky, burned and charred helpless animals; to hear stories of people seeking shelter in the ocean and death of young fathers; choking on the smoke. Fearing for our nation and those in our community – and elsewhere – who sleep outside unprotected from the poisonous fumes.

While the rich live sheltered and can leave whenever they choose (myself included) it is those with less resources who suffer the most. Who live with the consequences of inaction.

As a nation we’ve seen an amazing response from far and wide in donations to those on the front line like the RFS, and organisations, like the Salvos, who are engaged in relief efforts. It seems everyone is pitching in together, and it is a great source of hope in these dark times.

Celebrities and business people alike are giving swathes of money – which is definitely needed, but also serves their own image of generosity (when a more sustainable move may be to move away from coal mining).
One of our community members, who doesn’t have much, last week came and gave us $200 towards the bushfire relief.

There’s a story in the Bible (mark 12:41-44) where Jesus is watching the crowd put in their offerings to the temple treasury. The rich throw in large amounts. ‘But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

‘Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, 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.”’

Everyone hears about the $500,000, the $1 million, the $70 million donations, but in reality – while it is generous – it is so little of what these people have. $200 may not go far in the long run, but for this community member, it was most of what she had for the week. And that is true generosity.