You’ve undoubtedly heard the adage, “No good deed goes unpunished.” Have you ever suffered criticism or retaliation for doing good? 1 Peter 3:17 says, “It is better to suffer for doing good.” What’s the best response? Do good anyway!”
Christ revealed to us that suffering has a spiritual purpose. Suffering for doing good is our small-scale way of carrying the cross of Jesus. Offering it up, joining our suffering to His, allows us to express our love more deeply to God and neighbor.
Many events in our everyday life cause suffering. Most obvious causes are the health struggles of dear friends and loved ones and even ourselves. If you have teenagers, you know suffering . There’s job stress, relationship stress, financial stress, and more.
Sometimes, surely, financial stress can be blamed on outside forces. But for me, most of my financial stress is due to my own choices. And it gets in the way of my giving. Have you experienced that?
We know we are to give in response to God’s blessings. And we know our giving is to be sacrificial. Giving sacrificially – when it is a bit uncomfortable and for the good of others – may be thought of as a form of suffering. Offer it up. A post in IN SINU JESU (10-25-08) reads, “Anything given to me, I lift up to the Father, covered in My precious Blood. It is this that makes your sufferings, even the smallest ones, precious to Me.”
Sacrificial giving may force us to forego spending on things we’d enjoy doing and appreciate having. Frankly, that’s one of the benefits of sacrificial giving. It forces us to prioritize our spending. If forces us to put God first in our budget. It imposes a bit of suffering. Offer it to Jesus with confidence that your generosity expresses your love more fervently to God and neighbor.
St. Maximilian Kolbe said, “Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving. Without sacrifice, there is not love.”
So give sacrificially to show your love.
Photo Credit: Robert Davis
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