I am unsure what to call the act of contribution.
We might compare it to love. When we give of it freely, enough is received in return that it hardly seems like a contribution at all!
Contribution can be a response to a request. It might be a donation of money, time or property to forward a cause. In too many instances, these donations are tarnished with much publicity and hoopla. By no means is it my intention be to discredit these generous acts of kindness.
There are also the more intangible forms of contribution. Given, in some cases, by those who appear to have nothing to give.
I ponder this morning on Luke 12:48 “…to whom much will be given…much will be required.” So, to whom has much been given?
To the multi-millionaire, who has made no acquaintance with Jesus? There are many examples in our world where some of these individuals have lived exemplary lives of “giving back”. And I have no question that they are rewarded inside and out!
How about the stay-at-home mom with a small tribe of followers, clamoring for her undivided attention?
How about the school teacher walking out of a parent/teacher interview where the parents educated the teacher on the life skills she or he lacked? And she/he was just one more example of those who thought little Johnny’s attitude was in need of improvement.
Or the police officer responding to domestic violence, putting their own safety on the line, knowing full well the pattern still had not been broken, questioning what the future held?
As we observe some of these examples, we soon realize contributing is like ping-pong. You must serve the ball in order to be in the game.
We can all contribute, and not only tangible contributions. The millionaire who donates the money to build the ball park most likely was fed at 3:00 a.m. by a weary mother, exasperated by a rambunctious teenager, and questioning if all her hair would be grey at age 40.
Contributions both tangible and intangible motivate the hands rocking the cradle of the child who will one day rule the world.
