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For five years I ran a weekly music class for refugee kids and their moms. There is something magical about seeing life come back into the eyes of a traumatized toddler, about praying with women who were aching for God to hear their cries, and listening to both kids and moms singing at the top of their lungs about the power of Jesus' name… a name they had only recently heard for the first time. I often described this ministry as one where you can just bump into a tree and the fruit falls into your lap. God was at work in real and tangible ways.
And yet, week after week, I found myself feeling frustrated. The toys I bought kept going missing, and the breakfast I prepared got snuck into purses before the kids even got a chance to eat. And I was frustrated because I expected at the very least a thank you, a recognition for everything I put into the program… something, anything except stealing from me!
That's what the world teaches us. Our hard work should be acknowledged. Amazing results should be recognized and praised. Those on the receiving end should feel grateful. This is what we expect to happen.
But Jesus turned the patterns of the world completely upside down. When someone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other as well (Luke 6:29). Give when someone asks you for something, and don't ask for your things back (6:30). Everyone loves their friends; we should love our enemies (6:32). Anyone will lend to someone who can repay (6:34); we are called to do good and to give with no expectations in return (6:35).
Ultimately, I wasn't frustrated because food was getting stolen. To be honest, if my kids were starving, I'd be tempted to do the same. My frustration came from a wrong and worldly expectation… that I deserved some kind of thanks for the doing the work God called me to do. But this is not the way of Jesus.
He teaches that we should expect nothing in return, and “then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High...” (6:35) And everlasting life as a child of God? Way better than a thank you here on Earth.
Where have you struggled being generous without expectation?
In addition to the story I shared above, I often struggle with being generous without expectation of at least a thank you when I'm interacting with beggars in our city. When I offer a sandwich and get scolded for not buying a coke as well, for example. But God continues to graciously remind me that my frustration means my motives aren't right, and that living like Jesus taught means giving with no expectation of receiving anything in return.