Giving freely

Mary, a friend of my neighbour, recently turned 100. To mark the occasion, Mary’s gym wrote to her, thanking her for the years of loyal membership and offering free use of the facilities for the rest of her life. An unusual gift by any standards! However, the next time my neighbour saw her, Mary reported that the gym had done her no favours: now that she no longer has to pay, she has stopped bothering to go…

Jane is one of the most generous people I know – money, time, hospitality and resources all flow out from her endlessly. She isn’t naïve, Jane is well aware of what she does and holds a deep recognition that, for all she gives, she never runs short. Giving can be like that.

A quick search on the phrase ‘free gift’ in the Bible surprised me with the results: what came up repeatedly was the combination ‘freely given’. The challenge to us all is, do we give freely? And how do we respond to something which is freely given to us?

Do we allow cynicism to kick in: there’s no such thing as a free lunch…? Turn the gift down because, after all, we’re British? Or feel compelled to reciprocate in some way, turning it into a functional transaction of items exchanged?

As residents of St Albans, can we respond positively to the many gifts and blessings which we receive? As the saying goes: Wake up grateful and watch how the day unfolds!

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