Open-handed: Guest Post from Tom Ward

Recently I have posted several blogs about the relationship between generosity and spiritual growth. In response Tom, a pastor and friend who subscribes to the blog, sent me the following. It is the story of what God showed him about the relationship between loving others and being open-handed while in South Africa working with orphans. I am passing it on to you here as a guest post from Tom.

If you love others you will be…

OPEN-HANDED

While spending time helping construct some new buildings in a Zulu orphan village in South Africa, I became acutely aware of Jesus’ words in Matthew 25. The village was full of bright, beautiful, hurting orphans who had lost their parents to HIV/AIDS. After a long day with them, I was lying in my hut reading the Bible. I came across Matthew 25 and read it in a whole new light.

Jesus said, basically, if we help the hungry, provide water for the thirsty and look after the needs of the “least of these” we will be invited into the joy of God’s kingdom by Jesus himself. However, it hit me in the face like a brick when I read this: if we don’t care for the “least of these” we will not be among the “blessed” who are invited into God’s kingdom (Matthew 25:31-46).

I asked my friend Rob Smith–who was in the bunk above me–if I could read the passage to him and he, like me, said he’d never really noticed that before. We both concluded that all we had to do to miss the eternal Kingdom of God was—nothing.

When I walked out of my room the next morning and ate breakfast with the orphans tears filled my eyes. I knew that the 6,000 children who are being orphaned every week in Africa by the AIDS pandemic was my crisis because I was a Christ-follower. In other words, Jesus made it crystal clear that he expects us to show our love for others by being open-handed.

Open-handedness is a life-style—a giving life-style. Just recently I was reading about a nine-year old-boy named Austin Gutwein, who became aware of the needs of hurting kids in Africa being orphaned by HIV/AIDS and decided he wasn’t too young to do something about it. He concluded that he could shoot hoops and ask people to give him money for every basket he made. His first year he shot 2057 free throws to raise money to support the orphans. In year two he set a goal to get a thousand more kids to shoot hoops for Africa and he succeeded. In only his third year he raised enough money to help build a school in Africa for kids who had no school in their village. He calls his organization Hoops for Hope and he partners with World Vision to make a difference.

 Since then, his vision has grown and there are chapters in several states where kids are shooting hoops to help the poor children of Africa. His young life is a picture of open-handedness.

All around us there are people who are marginalized, hurting, and have a desperate need to know someone cares. You are the open hands of Jesus, and he wants to show his love to them through you. He wants you to use the resources he has put at your disposable to change the world. It doesn’t cost a lot to make a difference—almost anyone can shoot hoops. What can you do? What’s in your hand that God could multiply if you would be open-handed?  Who’s hurting in your neighborhood that needs a helping hand? What about the homeless? What about the abused and addicted? What could we accomplish if we would be open-handed?

Rob Smith, the guy in the top bunk, never thought he would be running a foundation to help the orphans of Africa, but he is. He left South Africa to come to the U.S.A. at seventeen years of age. He became a successful building contractor and life was sweet, but he gave it all up, scaled down his life-style, and became open-handed.

Now there is a village full of smiling orphans being loved and cared for because Rob decided he wanted to be the hands of Jesus showing orphans God’s love.

Loving others means being open-handed…

Rev. Tom Ward, Sr.

President, Partners In Ministry
www.PartnersInMinistry.org
thomas@partnersinministry.org – Reach out, I’d love to hear from you!