The Opportunity to Say Yes
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” – Ephesians 1:7
Generosity is my absolute favorite topic. Many who know me, know this is true. But it wasn’t always the case. There was a time in the not-too-distant past where generosity was quite foreign to me. In its place was selfishness and a false sense that I was the rightful owner of all my money and possessions. I had not yet come to terms with what it meant to give joyfully and sacrificially.
Then something awesome happened. It wasn’t something that happened to me, but something that happened around me. It was a Saturday morning, and my wife and I decided to go on a little coffee date (#pre-kids). As we’re standing in line, there was a conversation in front of us between two ladies and the barista. After a few seconds, I gathered what was going on. They ordered their drinks but immediately realized their purses were back at the hotel. They were stuck. No money, no coffee.
This very moment was an opportunity to say “yes.” Call it me wanting to be a gentleman, or call it me feeling bad for them, or call it the Holy Spirit giving me a nudge that felt more like a two-handed shove to the back. I interrupted their conversation and asked if it would be okay if I just pay for their drinks. It was maybe $10… not a big deal. However, both women fell silent, their jaws dropped, and one asked “Why would you do that for us? You don’t even know us.” I don’t remember what my response was (it was probably lame), but by the end of this brief exchange one of the women started crying. In my own head I’m thinking “It was only $10, it’s not a big deal.” To her, though, it made an impact.
That moment also made an impact on me… a huge impact! To see how God can use such an innocent encounter, such a small gift, such a chance meeting, for amazing things. Something changed in me that morning. A switch was flipped. To experience what it looks like and feels like to exhibit joyful, God-led generosity. That moment was a turning point in my life, and it’s been an amazing journey of generosity ever since. All because of one little opportunity to say “yes.”
People in my circle probably keep an ongoing tally of every time I use the phrase “giving people an opportunity to say ‘yes’.” So late last year when a fellow church-member approached me with a wild generosity idea, of course I was going to listen. He shared with me his heart for people struggling with medical debt and how it pained him to watch people financially suffer long after overcoming their medical affliction. At the same time, he had recently witnessed other communities rally around this same issue by partnering with an organization called RIP Medical.
RIP Medical raises money and uses it to purchase medical debt for low-income and struggling families. They use their scalability, their resources, and their expertise to purchase the debt for just pennies on the dollar. Each dollar raised has the ability to purchase $100 of debt! Here’s the best part: After purchasing this debt, they immediately forgive it and send a letter to the family explaining their burden has been lifted. No strings, no catches, no expectations… just forgiveness and grace. Sound familiar?
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” – Ephesians 1:7
Question to Consider
How can I in His lavished riches get involved in an opportunity to say yes in giving this month?
We welcome Travis Shelton as a guest writer for this month’s devotional. Learn more about him by visiting: www.travisshelton.com