 By Matt Guerino|Published Date: January 04, 2010
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:8-10
So Much For Gratitude
Have you ever done a good deed, only to be reprimanded by the very recipient of your generosity? I experienced a humorous example of this just last month.
Several days of sub-zero temperatures had frozen the nectar in our backyard hummingbird feeder solid. The hummingbirds themselves continued to try to drink from it, since they really had no other food options in the winter cold. But as we watched them through our window we saw each attempt end in failure. The little birds would zoom out of a nearby tree and perch on the side of the feeder, then poke their long beaks through the feeding hole in hopes of finding a pool of sweet nectar waiting. Instead their foraging was foiled by the ice, so they’d hop over to another hole on the other side of the feeder and try that one, but once again they would be disappointed. Eventually they’d fly back to the tree to keep an eye on the bright red feeder, hoping that another attempt later in the day would somehow yield better results.
Of course we knew that the short-term news would not get better by itself. The weather forecast called for a few more days of below-freezing temperatures, so my intervention would be necessary if the tiny birds were going to get to eat. I bundled up to go out into the cold and retrieve the feeder so we could thaw it indoors. This would give the birds at least a window of opportunity to nourish themselves before the nectar eventually froze again.
As the bitter cold hit my face I was actually feeling pretty good about my little good deed. Now admittedly, stepping out into the cold for a few seconds is no great sacrifice! But I know I was at least a little proud of my altruistic motives because of how I felt about the hummingbirds’ reaction when I approached the frozen feeder.
They chewed me out. As I took hold of the feeder two hummingbirds shot out of a nearby tree and buzzed a few feet above my head. No doubt they were trying to drive the clumsy invading ogre away from their feeding grounds. A third hummingbird remained in the tree and squawked at me angrily the whole time I was outside.
I turned to my wife, who was watching the whole scene from the window, with a look of incredulity. The little bird-brained critters didn’t realize I was on their side! They had no ability to understand what was really happening, and so they reamed the very one who was helping them. So much for gratitude! My wife and I got a good laugh out of the encounter.
Unappreciated Grace
As humorous as this little spat with my neighborhood hummingbirds was, it brought to mind a conversation I once had with a member of my church. We were discussing ways the church could make the gospel known in our community by helping those in need. This led him to describe a time several years earlier when church members had delivered food baskets to some local families during the holidays.
His team arrived at one particular apartment anxious to do their good deed, but they were met with total indifference. The wife asked the team to put the food in the kitchen for her, and then went back to what she was doing without helping. The husband was watching television when the team arrived, and never once looked up to acknowledge the team’s presence while they were there. As the team brought in the bags full of groceries they noticed that the refrigerator was already almost full. After dropping off the food they left with an unenthusiastic acknowledgment from the wife, and none at all from the husband whose cupboards they had just filled. So much for gratitude.
The experience left a somewhat bitter taste in my friend’s mouth. He’s more inclined now to be sure that those helped really need the help. And even though he was quick to state that we shouldn’t help the needy just so we feel good, it was nonetheless clear to me that he wanted them to show at least a bit of appreciation.
Weary of Compassion
If we’re honest with ourselves we’ll admit that we too want to know our good deeds are appreciated by the recipients. The joy of giving is magnified when the recipient shows gratitude. That’s why I was a bit miffed at the hummingbirds in my backyard, even though I laughed about it. Those pea-brained critters just weren’t grateful! And that’s also why my friend was frustrated by his unappreciated food delivery. Gratitude is a potent motivator for acts of giving, and when it is absent one quickly becomes weary of helping others.
There is also an element of discernment that comes into play when seeking to help the needy. We should be concerned with questions like how needy a person truly is, and whether the type of assistance we’re offering is truly benefitting the person or just enabling destructive behaviors. But our discernment can also easily spill over into cynicism, and become a reason to not help anyone. The fear of “being taken” is another potent force that wearies the soul of doing good, and undermines compassion.
Compassion’s Motive
In Galatians 6:9 God urges us not to “grow weary” of doing good. I find it interesting that the exhortation is not to keep on doing good, though that is implied. Rather, the exhortation is to not grow weary in doing good. It is a sad fact that in this world acts of love and giving are often met with indifference. Like those little hummingbirds squawking at me in the tree who couldn’t understand that I was actually helping them, people often don’t have the capacity to fully appreciate heaven’s grace when they experience it, because the human heart is broken and selfish. This lack of gratitude can quickly sap our desire to help others.
Yet we’re told to not grow weary of doing good because of one great fact, which is stated in verse 8: it’s how we sow to the Spirit. In other words, meeting people’s needs is one very simple, tangible way we make investments in Jesus’ kingdom. This is the great Biblical motive for generosity. Every act of selfless love I do in Jesus’ name is advancing his kingdom.
According to Scripture we give to those in need not to enjoy a grateful reaction from the recipient. We give to those in need because that’s what Jesus did. If ever there was one who left comfort and stepped into the cold of suffering for the benefit of others, it’s Jesus (Philippians 2:5-8). And he sends his people out into the brokenness of the world to follow his example: giving of what we have to a world of spiritual rebels, often with no gratitude in response, just like he did.
Sow to the Spirit, Today
Someone within reach of your influence needs help right now. Perhaps it’s a friend or family member in need of a little extra cash in these economically turbulent times. It may be a single mom on your street, or her kids. Perhaps it’s a homeless stranger in your town’s shelter in need of a meal, or the prisoner in a nearby jail in need of a mentor or friend.
God may be calling you to help them in his name whether they’ll fully appreciate it or not. Even if they don’t – even if they remain in the proverbial branches and squawk at your acts of grace – you will have “sown to the Spirit.” You will have extended the redemptive kingdom rule of Jesus into a broken world, and the result will be a rich entrance into the kingdom of our Lord (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
Whether it’s appreciated at the time or not, helping those need is never just for the birds.
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