Pretty Please

Ask and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For ever one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

I hate asking for donations. It’s uncomfortable. I feel like a beggar. I won’t even let my son do it. When the magazine drive or the swim-a-thon comes around I just write a check. Done. I don’t want to bother people and I won’t be bothered with the effort asking takes. Funny thing though, when asked I am usually glad to help with time or money. For one thing I know how hard it was to ask in the first place.

Ask and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. I don’t give my fellow man the opportunity to help. I under estimate people. They want to help if they can. We must present opportunities.

I asked for a donation this week. For a service project at church I needed 50 clean, empty paint cans from the folks at Marin Color Service. At Christmas time we will fill them with treats for the college students of our congregation. We send them off during finals week, an encouragement during stressful times. I got uncomfortable asking because I thought it was too much. Certainly this is more than they can give. It’s extra work. They have to order extra cans. Ask and it will be given you.

A recent story in Guideposts about Mother Teresa illustrates this point beautifully. A gentleman traveling with Mother Teresa related this experience . . .

On a long flight the meal arrived. Mother Teresa said she’d rather donate her food to the poor. The flustered flight attendant said she’d hold the meal but wasn’t sure what to do next. Word spread through the plane and soon no one wanted their meal. They all wanted to donate their food. Once they landed Mother Teresa asked for the food and a truck to transport it to a poor neighborhood in the city. All this was done, and free of charge, because someone asked.

The traveling companion questioned Mother Teresa, how could she be so bold? She answered it was not bravery to ask for God’s children. She didn’t ask for herself she asked for those who couldn’t.

When given the chance people want to help. I asked the generous folks at Marin Color for something out of the ordinary, it’s a small thing really but unusual. They can get excited about helping. None of this can happen until we seek help from each other for our ideas of service. Request on behalf of God, seek help serving His world. Be surprised where the asking takes you.

Posted 8/16/2006 @ 11:46 AM | Weekly Thoughts