Thanking by giving
Gaylord L. Goertzen
Ebenfeld Mennonite Brethren Church
In the summer of 1974, my wife, Peggy, and I yielded to God's call to full-time Christian service and moved to Fresno, California. To attend the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary. It was hard to leave our friends in our home church in Bakersfield, Calif., but they affirmed God's call in our lives and assured us of their love and care for us. They promised to pray for us as we followed God's will.
The first months of seminary were difficult. The workload of classes was heavy and money was scarce. The third month of seminary, things were especially strained. Our 18-month-old daughter's feet turned in terribly when she walked and our family doctor referred us to an orthopedic specialist. We were not only concerned about her feet, but about how much treatment was going to cost.
On the day of the appointment, we drove across town to the doctor's office. One block from the office we met a California Highway Patrol vehicle check. We had a 12 -year-old car which I knew would not pass inspection. I was right, it didn't . It needed a headlight adjustment, two new tires, and a few other minor repairs.
With a heavy burden, we went to the specialist. The diagnosis was that she did not need braces, just special shoes. Although the shoes were not as expensive as the braces, the shoes still put a burden on our tight finances. After buying the shoes, we had no money left to fix the car.
It seemed no one cared about our predicament, our need. We felt all alone. Yet in faith we turned to the Lord. We cried out to Him in prayer. God's word is full of promises to us. When we have a need, we can cry out to Him in prayer.
God's word assures us, in Philippians 4:19 that, " My God will meet all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus." However, God uses us, his people, to meet those needs.
God's answer to our prayers came a few days later when we received a letter from our Sunday School class in Bakersfield. Inside was a note that said, "We love you and care about you. We took an offering. Hope it helps." Enclosed was a check for $50.00!
The next day I made the minor repairs and had the headlights adjusted. I found a sale on tires and bought two new tires. The total bill came to $45.00. We had $5.00 left to give back to the Lord to thank Him for his care for us. We knew God loved us and cared about us because God's people cared enough to give.
It is important for us to tell people we care about them — to verbalize our love. But it is not enough just to say we care; we have to show we care by our actions. "Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?" (James 2:15-16)
All around us are people who have needs. It is not enough just to say that we care, we have to show those who are in need that God cares about them and we care about them by doing something to help them. Christians who really care show their care through action.
Thanksgiving is a time to remember all the blessings we have received from God and how he has supplied our needs. But Christmas follows Thanksgiving, and Christmas reminds us that "God so loved the world that he gave." God expects us to give thanks for all he's given us but he also expects us to give so that others who are in need can be thankful. God calls us to thank Him for all he's given us, then show our thankfulness by giving so others can thank God for the way he has supplied their needs.
