It's Monday morning; Garbage day.
This morning I met Thebogo. He salvages through the garbage bins looking for food and clothes. The rags we throw away becomes his treasures and the half eaten food we toss out becomes his meal for the day.
It was just after I made this lovely cup of coffee, and set it on a tray to spoil myself on this gorgeous Monday morning, that I heard someone calling outside. As I opened the front door and peeped outside, I saw this man in a torn overhaul with over-sized shoes on. He politely asked me if I would bring our dustbin outside so that he can look through it. As this is a regular sight in South Africa today, I didn't find it weird or strange. It seems to be just as part of his day as it was part of my day to sit in my garden and enjoy my cuppa.
As I opened the gate I asked for his name. Something we never do I guess. because once you ask someones name, you show interest and they might overstep into your comfort zone. But this morning I spoke to Thebogo. I was thankful that he took the dustbin outside into the street, and he was glad too. But I knew that there wasn't much in my Garbage today. The veggie peels goes into the compost and the left-overs to the dog.
I didn't give him much today, merely a friendly greeting and a 'how are you today'. But the gratefulness on Thebogo's face, when I allowed him to take out my Garbage, was tremendous. A sight to behold, was the moment I handed him 2 tins of food and a few pants. His face lit up and his voice tremble as he said: 'thank you, mam'.
It's true to give is better than to receive. It isn't so much in what we give as in how we give. It's not about the quantity but about the attitude of our hearts. Today only a friendly greeting would have been enough for Thebogo.
Thankfulness follows a heart of giving; and giving stems out of a heart of thankfulness. It's a snowball effect. The more you are thankful, the more you become satisfied in God and the more you wanna give (even if you are in need yourself). The more you give, the more you become thankful and the more you wanna give.
Have you ever tried to out-give God. I tried; I failed.
God is our source of everything, El Shaddai. He supplies, He gives... He gave His best sacrifice so that we can be saved.
What an awesome God we serve. YHWH, Elohim, Adonai. GOD of plenty, my source of everything, my Master and my King. God supplies seed to the sower. You can never out-give God. God's principle is not to store up for ourselves so that we can have more than enough. NO. His principle is that we should extend barns so that He can pour out a blessing that will be too much to store, so that we can give. He will open the floodgates of heaven so that we can give.
On this Garbage day, I found this great treasure.
Be salt in a perverse world; be light in the darkness., and you too will find your treasure.
Comments