Letters and Liberality

*Lily* knew *Ryan* went to her church occasionally, but aside from that, she knew little else except that he was younger than she was. She decided to get to know him, and wrote him a letter. She didn't receive a reply, but that was because Ryan's mother said he had lost the envelope.

"All right," Lily said with a smile. "I'll write him another one!" She started to, but never finished it. Weeks went by, then months, and finally a year. Lily felt terrible, especially because of what she had said she would do. She purposed to begin her endeavor anew, and wrote to Ryan apologizing for not sending him another one sooner. Lily then decided to write him a letter every month. No letters came to her for quite some time, but she was cheered by the thought that maybe she was adding a bit of happiness to someone's day. Then, after seven months of doing this, a letter from Ryan arrived! It wasn't that long ago that this took place. I am happy to report that since then, he and Lily have been communicating quite regularly.

Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 3:13: "But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing." Why could he say that? The apostle knew from personal experience that fruit from such labors did not always always come speedily, and some might be tempted to give into discouragement. If your efforts to be friendly, to do good to someone, seem futile, don't stop! Someday you'll see that it wasn't in vain. Perhaps it won't be in the same way that Lily saw with Ryan, but you will see it--if not here, then in eternity. That is certain. Besides, you will find that there is joy in giving, even if it isn't acknowledged.

Even if nothing were to come of it with others--though that is impossible--, it won't have been in vain for you. All along the way, you will have cooperated with the Master as He sought to teach you the lessons of unselfish love and labor, and thus reaped many a blessing in terms of character-building. As it says in Proverbs 11:24: "The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself." Paul affirmed this when speaking to the church about giving funds to spread the gospel. He wrote, "But this [I say], He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully" (2 Corinthians 9:6). Are these words true, not only concerning money, but also love and kindness? I think so. If we work with Jesus to uplift those around us, He will be the more able to uplift us; but if we do nothing for our fellow men, or if we give up because it seems too hard, how can He help us? Not only will those around us suffer because of our selfish stinginess in that case, but so will we. Our characters will become so narrow because we won't think of anyone but ourselves that Christ will have no room to work with us--and we know what that results in!

Let us be liberal, then, not caring whether the visible returns are great or small. There is too much else at stake for us to do otherwise.

Blessings,
Jean