He who is generous will be blessed …
–Proverbs 22:9 (New American Standard)
Melvin Wax, 88, a retired accountant, was fatally shot while worshipping at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 27, 2018. According to The Associated Press, when asked to describe the life of his friend, Myron Snider briefed the world on Melvin’s significance by stating that Mel was unfailingly generous.
As Mr. Snider continued to elaborate on the wholesome life of his deceased friend Melvin, he recounted that while he himself was hospitalized, Melvin tracked down Snider’s hospital phone number so they could talk.
What causes someone to demonstrate kindness to others, living generously as opposed to living miserly?
Proverbs 22:9 seems to hint at the secret to how some live generously and how some do not.
The word generous in this text is derived from the Hebrew word ayin, a word meaning eye.
When we think of generosity we don’t generally think of sight. We are often prone to think of those who have abundance, from whom philanthropy can emanate.
Yet if we slow down for a moment, we may recall some people in our lives who have abundant resources and yet have not been generous.
Could it be that some do not see the needs of others?
Could it be that some do not see their abundance to be relevant to addressing the needs of others?
Could it be that some see reasons to justify forsaking the needs of others?
Sight plays an important part in being generous. In fact we can say that a generous person has a “generous eye.”
The generous person can sense — or see — the needs of others. They can see how their resources may give relief to present needs, and they can quite possibly see the complex reasons why others are in need.
This generous individual does not let culture, peer pressure, or selfish ambition blind their eye to the challenge that is at hand and to the real solutions that can make significant impact.
The quantity of your generosity does not generally tell the bigger story. Jesus was once so moved that he called His disciples to observe the generosity of a woman who lost her husband — lost her standing in society — but still gave from her poverty. (Mark 12:44)
Life was in the widow’s giving because giving was her life.
It’s not every day that we talk about generosity, but this week, even in the midst of tragedy, let us take notice. May we teach our children that a life that sees kindness and a life that gives kindness is a life that God will bless.
And no weapon formed against that life will prosper.
Our hearts and prayers are toward the Tree of Life Synagogue victims.
—Carl Ricketts Jr., MDiv, BCC, is director of Chaplain Services for Loma Linda University Medical Center.
