“It can be tough giving something away.” These words came from my oldest son while on the youth ministry ski trip. John David and I were on one of the ski slopes and he was desperately looking for someone to give a small package of Lifesavers candy (all the while dad was trying desperately to keep his balance). His eyes scanned each person in our general vicinity as to match a person in need with his special gift.
The night before our group discussed what it meant to be an influence in someone else’s life and to live by faith. As an object lesson, every person received two packages of Lifesavers. One you could enjoy, the other you needed to share with someone during the day. Obviously, the idea of sharing should be with someone who needed a little lift and perhaps a smile.
Each pack came with a printed message from Ephesians 2:4,5 – “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” The scripture and act of hospitality was to remind people that God still noticed their lives and wanted to help in their time of need.
Finally, John David saw a snowboarder take a tumble close to us. He cautiously went over and handed the young man the lifesavers. The boy looked puzzled at first but he soon said thank you and went on.
As for my package, I witnessed a lady needing some medical attention from a spill. Although I did not get a chance to talk to her directly, I learned through her husband that she would be spending the rest of the day in the warming hut. I handed him the Lifesavers and asked him to share these with her a bit later. I don’t know if he did or not, but I suspect they didn’t go well with the adult refreshment she kept mentioning.
Many people are leery or hesitant to receive gifts from perfect strangers. I imagine we tend to catch people off guard with our hospitality and they just don’t know how to respond. Still, some people are down right resistant and unopened to receiving anything. Our culture makes “free stuff” a marketing tool and a way to get consumers to purchase even more. You might say that most “free stuff” comes with strings attached.
I guess our little gestures of kindness did have some strings attached. First, the people must be willing to receive the hospitality. A gift never received is a wasted gift. Second, the recipient must humble his/her heart and mind to see their true condition and be willing to accept the greater gift being offered. That greater gift came from God, we were merely agents helping to convey the gift.
Although the simplicity of giving away Lifesavers might seem trivial, I hope a greater lesson is learned by our youth. I hope they learn to always carry a package of “life savers” with them. They don’t have to give out candy but the gift can be words of encouragement and hope or even actions of kindness and acceptance. Also, we did not see how the people used our gesture but we trust that God put them to great use. The Apostle Paul wrote, “the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.” (1 Corinthians 3:5b-9)
Don’t let anything distract you of the joy of being in church this weekend,
Travis
