Advent Devotional by Carroll Makemson
2 Corinthians 9:1-15
Each of you must give as you made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7, NRSV)
Child. Mean cat. Santa Claus. Small mall. That’s the crux of this story about giving. One Christmas morning our four-year-old granddaughter came bouncing into the house with a white lunch bag carefully decorated with stickers and announcing that she had been to the Small Mall, probably at Antioch Center, and had a present for our cat. We were slightly puzzled, because in the Small Mall children usually “purchased” a couple presents as a surprise for their parents.
Now, our cat Boo had nicknames, and Mean Cat was one of the nicest. Although she was named for our most loving and kind aunt, the cat’s temperament was the opposite. Just walking by her could elicit a swipe from her paw, and only a careful adult could pick her up.
The question of the day was: why would Keller use one of her few gifts for this cat. When gift opening time came, we asked her that very question. She opened the cat’s gift and explained that Santa Claus would not bring the mean cat any presents. She didn’t want Boo to be left out. It was a white plastic scoop with a cat on the handle. She then asked if she and the cat could eat yogurt together. Sure, after all, a granddaughter had asked. We found the cat on our bed and carefully offered her strawberry yogurt in her new scoop. We then settled Keller on the bed about three feet away eating the rest of the yogurt. The two had a snack together, the gift giver was thrilled, and no one was injured.
Let’s think about Keller’s gift-giving process:
She felt sympathy/compassion.
She purposefully thought about what the cat “needed.”
She made the purchase willingly based on her resources not out of compulsion or false motives. An adult shopping with her might have tried to change her mind.
Above all, she was elated with a cheerful heart Christmas morning.
Do I perceive a Pauline influence? Maybe your Christmas shopping and giving for this year are planned and underway. Wherever you are in the process, stop and think about “Paul’s Guide to Giving” outlined in 2 Corinthians 9:7. This verse, given as guidance to the Church at Corinth almost two thousand years ago, still serves us well. May we all have a Pauline influence as we give!
Carroll Makemson