40 Acts - Day 32:' ANON '

Anonymous generosity can often be the most fun and freeing.

No need for explanations, no expectations of grand thank yous: just a simple act of kindness.

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 

so that your giving may be in secret. 

Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:3–4 NIV

I love giving things away – money, presents – in fact all types of stuff. I used to get carried away and just give on the spot but more recently I’ve learned to hold back: I wait a day and then give the gift anonymously.

I don’t generally like to talk about it. Talking about giving anonymously is a slippery slope. In fact, if I truly wanted to be anonymous, then I wouldn’t talk about it all. I know what I’m like: self-congratulation would creep in and I’d slowly become impressed with myself. It would be more about me than the giving and that would defeat the object of giving anonymously.

So to make sure I don’t get caught in that trap, I won’t tell you who I am – I’ll just encourage you to think about it.

I’ll tell you why I give ‘under cover’: because I want to bless. I really want others – people I know and some I don’t – to feel the joy of ‘being seen’. To know that someone saw their need, met it and did so for one reason: to see them joyful, blessed and loved. What’s more, giving to others anonymously means they aren’t burdened by the need to return the favour, leaving them free to receive and just be blessed.

I visited a church recently and noticed they had a croissant breakfast for their morning gathering. There was a £2 per head cost. I wanted to bless the attendees, so I prayed, worked out the average number of people and planned to give enough money for everyone to get a free breakfast one Sunday. I wasn’t there to see what happened but I had fun imagining them all tucking into a free breakfast with a smile on their faces.

And that is the beauty of giving anonymously. Freeing yourself up; putting all that ‘self’ stuff aside and working with God to bless others. As it says in Matthew 6: 3–4, even if you don’t get to see the results, our heavenly Father does – and that is reward enough for me.

Today's blog was written by an Anonymous Contributor.
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