The Adventures of Gift Giving |
Nov 27, 2009 |
I’ve heard it said that embracing transformational giving on a personal level can be described as an adventure. As I prepared to lead October and November trainings on biblical planned giving, I reflected for the first time ever on my own biblical planned giving legacy. I had never before been challenged to do this and happily found it to be nothing short of an adventure (once I got past my procrastination).
Last week, at a planned giving lab – a session where we focus on tangible application of workshop concepts - Rich, the Executive Director of a human services ministry, blew me away with his powerful idea for a transformational planned gift.
He explained that his niece and her husband are expecting a baby girl shortly. He thought about what transformational gift he might give to the couple and their unborn infant. He prayed and even thought briefly about objects he could gift to them, like a Bible or a picture or some such meaningful thing.
Here’s what he shared with us:
As I prayed about the gift, God convicted me that my gift to them should be prayer of some sort (note: the chills get me now…) Then I thought to myself, ‘What if I promise to pray for this child every day for the rest of my life – until the day that I either die or I’m no longer capable of doing so?..’
I had to catch my breath. The room was totally still. Rich continued:
…I was thinking that this gift would actually be a burden to me. A big burden. It would be a huge commitment to carry out. But I really felt like it’s what God wanted me to do. So I wrote my niece and her husband a letter telling them about this gift I had decided to give them. Of course, it also means that the parents and eventually the child will need to stay in touch with me as far as how I should be praying.
We pondered this incredible gift. His niece had not yet rep lied to the letter so we joked that maybe they were disappointed they didn't get some stock shares or a deposit to their baby’s college fund.
Then we nudged Rich a bit further. With transformational giving, we’re interested not just in the transformation in the recipient but also in the heart of the giver. How could Rich track his own the transformation over time as he prays daily for this child? What if he were to keep some kind of journal with weekly or even monthly entries about his prayer life for her? Or he could record specific verses he prays over time and regularly share those with his great niece and her parents – maybe on her birthday each year?
I can’t wait to hear how it goes as Rich starts to pray and record his experiences. If he follows through with this gift as planned, I am confident that the transformation in recipient – as well as giver – will be substantial.
