Giving to God by Giving to Another

Have you ever given something that you valued to someone and discovered that they used it poorly and nearly destroyed your gift? I have heard of a single man receiving a laptop to help him in his struggling photography business. The computer was a gift from a fellow church member and at the time was a rather expensive gift including unique and specific software. After only three months the giver connected with the receiver to see how it was working. To the receiver’s credit he resisted the urge to shade the truth and told him directly that he lost it.
What do we do when that happens to us? Do we get upset? Should we scold the receiver? Blame God for giving us the impulse to give just to see what we gave squandered or wasted? These responses are natural and unhelpful. When we respond this way we are revealing that the object we gave cares more to us than the one we gave it to. We prayed about it and gave it to God, ultimately, and that in obedience, and God told us to give it to the struggling photographer. By nature a gift is really only a gift with no strings attached. Conventional wisdom says, “Learn a lesson and be prudent in your giving.” God says, “Trust me. I am using your gift for more than its practical application.” We would be prudent not to judge with our own eyes but trust God to whom we really gave the gift.