Generosity

Generosity. I did not know the meaning of the word before today. It is not giving out of abundance, but giving out of sacrifice. Today during my home visits I was blessed by Christine, a single mom who was trying to make ends meet.

After smoothing out the wrinkles in the couch and replacing the plastic mugs to their proper location above the water tin, Christine welcomed us into her house. The tiny one-roomed shanti was cleaner than most. Christine had concrete floors, and the walls were covered in scrap pieces of cloth instead of cardboard -or even bare like some of the homes I had seen before hers. She had one simple couch, a coffee table and a pile of watering basins and jugs. Perched in the corner were three plush teddy bears, all of them well worn, but it was evident that they were precious artifacts. We had to squeeze through the door, as there was barely enough room to open it wide enough. Once inside I realized how dark it was. The only light that entered the room was through the cracks in the door frame and the holes in the roof. My eyes had to adjust to the dim lighting, but once they did I was able to make out the strong character that sat across from me. Christine was tall, slender, and while she was soft-spoken, I could tell that her personality was strong and honest. She spoke in Swahili, so I could not make out her plea. Dan, the interpreter looked distraught, he he kept shaking his head, but I could tell he was defeated. 

Christine was eager, but Dan was clearly upset. Before I knew the context of the conversation, Christine left the home and quickly returned with two cold bottles of coke. She proceeded to move to the back of the room and pulled out three glass cups. She diligently washed them then poured a glass for me, Audrey, and Dan. A smile spread across her face as we reached for our portion and graciously thanked her for the treat. But instead of filling a glass for herself, she used the remainder of the coke to fill our glasses after we had a few sips. 

Christine poured out love for all of her visitors. She taught me what it meant to give. Our prayer for her today was that should could find a job and provide for her kids. She did not have enough money to buy food for her family, and yet she wanted to treat us with a precious gift. I cannot imagine how much this glass of coke cost her. Her act of selflessness made me think, "when have I ever sacrificially given?" Have I ever given when it hurt? 

I think the world would judge this woman -why would she pay so much to buy a coke for someone who clearly does not need it? Why would she waste money that she does not have when she has a family to think about. While the world may judge, I think Jesus is smiling tenderly. I have never felt so humbled as I did today in the presence of Christine. I saw Christ today -he sat right across from me an poured me a glass of coke.