In The Giving Myths, Stephen McSwain tells of a Christmas-shopping venture with his wife. While she entered a store, he stayed on the sidewalk, where a shabbily dressed man played carols on a rusty saxophone. "He was not an accomplished musician," McSwain writes. "He reminded you of the days when your younger sister was learning to play the clarinet in the bedroom down the hall."
As his wife came out of the store, McSwain dropped a few dollars in the bucket on the saxophonist's music stand. The words "Thank you and Merry Christmas" were heavily accented.
Walking to the car, she asked, "How much did you give him?" Jokingly, McSwain answered, "Five hundred dollars." Playing along, his wife shared a mild threat.
As they continued shopping, the image remained:
I could not get the saxophonist off my mind. "Instead of five dollars," I silently wondered, "suppose I had given him five hundred. Would that have made any difference, not only to him but to me, too?"
I concluded it would have. Had I been serious enough to give him the larger amount, I would have wanted to stop, talk to him, and get to know more about him. I would have asked, "Sir, do you have a wife? Children? If so, how are they doing? Will you be celebrating Christmas this year? What about food? Do you have anything to eat? Where are you from, anyway? Can I help you in some way other than just paying you a few dollars for playing Christmas carols on your horn?"
Serious, generous giving significantly changes the landscape of your personal involvement. You will always be motivated to make a greater investment of time and energy when you go beyond token giving. Giving your money is like putting money in the bank. The more you do, the more your interest grows.
Interested? Jesus put it this way: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)
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