There is a trick that we play with our children in order to develop their sense of generosity and willingness to share. This usually happens when you surprise a child with something that they value greatly like candy or cake or a new toy. Say for example, you give the child a single chocolate bar. He will be very glad to receive the unexpected gift and will eagerly tear the wrapper off in anticipation. But no sooner has the candy touched the mouth and the chocolate began to melt on the tongue, than you tell the kid, “Please give me the candy bar for me to taste as well.”
In an instant, you can see just by looking at the little face the turmoil that the request creates inside the child. On one hand, he knows that you are the one who gave him and so you deserve to get back in return. But on the other hand, he also knows that he now owns the candy and he can choose not to share. Some kids share and others refuse to share.
For the kid that decides to share, the adult will take the candy and pretend to take a bite at the candy (that would be liberally coated with saliva by now). The adult will then give back the candy to the kid and lavish him with praise because he is willing to share what he owns. The adult might even give more to the child in order to reinforce the lesson that giving and sharing is a good thing and when practiced, one does not lose, but rather he gains.
As for the kid that refused to share, he will be reminded verbally of where the candy came from and admonished for his stinginess. On some occasions, the adult who gave the gift might even repossess it from the stingy kid, or take it forcefully to share with other children. This often results in the stingy child screaming hysterically because of the loss, leaving him unhappier than if he had not received the candy at all.
God treats us like His little children and will give us similar tests to see how we react to His gifts. I am sure that you can remember an occasion where you received money unexpectedly and just as you were planning on how to use it, someone came with a small pesky need that required you to give away some of the money. Did you give the money gladly, grudgingly, or reused to give? As in the case of our children, that is God’s way of saying to us “Please give me the candy bar for me to taste as well.” When we give back to God through that person with the annoyingly accurate timing of appearing just when we have some unexpected bundle of cash, God gives us back with praise and much more of what we offered to Him.
