It’s Friday evening and we three friends are standing around the fire, ready to braai a nice mutton chop. We talk about what we’ve done that week.

Friend one tells us about a course for business people at church and the story of the successful businessman, Don Camion. Don grew up with his parents in Nigeria, where his doctor father and nurse mother were called to make a difference in harsh Africa.

Later, Don returned to America, where he established a very successful aircraft business. Just after the turn of the century he visited the hospital built by his father and mother. The dilapidated hospital touched his heart. His calling woke up and today there is a brand-new hospital where lives are saved – not only physical lives, but also spiritual lives. (https://egbehospital.org/wp-content/flip-book/2015/november/brochure/#p=3)

My friend commented how many children are influenced by their parents and later do the same as their parents did. When parents make this verse part of themselves and their way of life here on earth, children do it too: ¹⁶Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of “sacrifice”—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.

Friend two brings it a bit closer to home. He says his dad always gave them pocket money when they were growing up. and they had to work hard for it. One requirement was that they had to buy themselves a Christmas present in the course of the year. The one they really longed for.

In December, on their way to the coast, they always stayed over at children’s homes. And at one of those children’s homes, each child in the family had to find someone to give his or her present to. That present that they really, really wanted and had to buy with their own hard-earned money.

Friend one says to Friend two: “Now I understand why you so easily do everything for others. It’s because your parents taught you.” I slowly kept nodding my head, because he would give the best in his cupboard, garage or fridge to someone else.

His parents understood what this means: ¹⁶… share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of “sacrifice”—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets. Like Don’s parents, they understood how to live this and pass the baton to their children, although some children do lose the baton somewhere along the way.

Let’s do like the parents of Don and my friend. Let’s take the instruction seriously and be good to the people around us. Let’s show our children what this instruction means. Let’s help them and prepare them to also share of themselves one day.

God will surely like it!

Scripture
Hebrews 13:9-16

Reflection
Do you understand your command?
Does your life speak of it?
Do others around you do the same?

Prayer
Lord, thank you for all the grace I receive from You. May I share it generously with those around me so that they can learn about caring and handing over and handing out and sharing. Amen.