“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32*)
You’ve surely heard similar words: “Don’t give so much, it won’t be appreciated.” Perhaps you’ve thought this yourself and advised someone else this way, having experienced ingratitude or rejection. You've given up your seat on the bus only to be refused, bought a gift that wasn’t liked, done your job diligently, but the client was not satisfied, tried to help but ended up being blamed, given your heart to someone who rejected you. How does it feel in those moments or periods of our lives? To give something you love to someone else, the best of yourself, the most valuable and cherished you possess, only for someone to say: “No, thanks! I don’t need it, I don’t like it.”
Depending on the situation, the hurt and pain can be so deep that they might make you never give 100 percent of yourself again, never open up to another person again, or even never love again. And why? To avoid suffering, to not be “played,” not to be the naive or rejected one again.
This is how our human brain works with rejection and hurt, which is why it’s hard for us to understand the main idea of the gospel, namely – why Jesus had to come to earth and die. If we could foresee the situations where we would be rejected or hurt, we would never put ourselves in such a position, right? There’s no logic in risking ourselves for people who wouldn’t accept or want this from us.
However, the Lord acts in a completely different way, despite knowing how His most precious, His own Son, would be rejected and hurt, even killed.
Jesus says the following: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:24-25*) Here He speaks of His forthcoming death, but also outlines a principle that is deeply foreign to us humans – the principle of self-sacrifice.
If we expect something in return from the person or group of people to whom we’ve given, we will be disappointed. Our hurt could be fatal and deprive us of the ability to give again. It can encapsulate us just like the hard grain of wheat, which can sit in a packet in our cupboard for years but never sprout. What do we need to live as Jesus lived on earth? How can I be ready to give my most precious, just as He gives Himself?
The hope that what you give will bear fruit and not be lost in oblivion is the strongest motivator for self-sacrifice and giving. God promises you that what you have given with a sincere and loving heart to people, you have entrusted into His hands. It is not lost, rejected, considered unnecessary or insufficient, nor was it foolish or reckless.
To give the most valuable you have to help and enrich someone else is the wisest investment in this world, because you do not belong to yourself. The Lord first invested in you to give it to others. Therefore, He takes care to preserve it as His own. Here is what Apostle Paul says on the subject: “That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12*, the bold font is ours) You are that pledge, that deposit, and investment that the Lord has first made by creating you. He has the power to protect you from pain, disappointment, destruction and fruitless labor. Wait for Him to multiply what’s sown.
*The biblical quotes are according to the text of Bible, new translation from the original languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.
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